The Triforce of Power Part:1 - A King is Born
by Rudy Ska
Summary: Ocarina of Time is one of the best games ever. But where is the backstory? Who were Ganondorf's parents? What happened during those seven years with no hero? This story explores both known and unknown parts of the story, but from the perspective of the Gerudo King, Ganondorf. Part1 is his childhood and his rise to power. I update my profile with each chapter. Continued in Part 2!
1. Chapter 1

Part I – A King is Born

Chapter I – Dark Premonitions

Just as the sands of time shift and change, so too did the sands of the desert. Dunes the form of waves and the wind that swept them every which way mimicked what a sea might've looked like. Faya had no idea what a sea looked like. She'd lived in the desert with her people, the Gerudo, for all her life. All she knew was that it had something to do with water. More water than she had ever seen in her life and the most she had seen was the rushing stream that ran deep in the canyon that divided the desert and her people's main settlement from the fields. Faya could definitely use some water right now. She was running full sprint through the desert toward the mountain range that separated her people from the raging desert sands. She had just been to the Sand Goddesses temple and had received a vision of the future. A child was to be born today to the Gerudo. But this was no ordinary child.

The infant was to be a boy.

The Gerudo were a tribe of only women and they were seen as the most beautiful women in the land. However, because their tribe consisted of only women, they were forced to mate with men from their rival tribe in the north. And with each pregnancy came another little girl for the tribe. Only every 100 years did a Gerudo birth a male child and that child was to be the new king of the Gerudo. They have only had 3 kings in their existence as a tribe and each did great things to expand and strengthen the Gerudo. Faya's vision, however, was troubling and foretold of dark fates surrounding the child. Recounting the vision only made Faya's feet move faster, kicking up sand and disturbing the slumbering dunes.

Faya ran straight through the mountain pass that cut through the peaks of the caldera that housed their tribe. When she came to their settlement she was met with an unfamiliar sight. The compound was the same as it always was with a few structures on the outside of the mountain, seemingly fused to the rocky exterior. But there was nobody around. The guards had left their posts, the stables were unattended, and even the archers perch atop the cliff to the south had been abandoned. Faya dove straight into the compound's main entrance and when she came to a specific jail cell, she punched a nearby brick. The brick gave and a loud click signified that the hidden door next to the button was open. Faya pushed the fake bricks out of the way and rushed her way deeper into the compound. It wasn't long until she found where everybody was. The wide hallway that was carved into the stone of the mountain was filled with chattering women all crowded around a single doorway where agonizing screams could be faintly heard over the loud voices of all the people. Faya was out of breath and energy when she came to the crowd and so grabbed the first women she got to and used them as support for her failing legs. The woman was Nyx, a guard from the entrance gates. She was shocked and yelped in surprise when Faya grabbed her but was even more surprised to see Faya almost dead from exhaustion and struggling to keep herself up.

"Faya!" Nyx shouted, "What are you doing here? You're supposed to be at the temple completing your duties."

Faya took a moment to catch her breath and take a swig of water from her sister's full canteen.

"Has Rila gone into labor yet?"

"Yes actually, she has been for almost three days now. The child must be loved by the goddess if she wants to keep her so long."

"Not she. He" Faya dove into the crowd of sisters toward the birthing chambers leaving Nyx gasping in disbelief.

The Birthing chamber was ornate with rugs and pillows strewn all over the floor and beautiful carvings etched into the stone walls. Beds lined the far wall, eight in total, and each had leg stands to ease the birthing process. The entrance wall had towels, robes, and ceremonial shawls neatly folded in tall piles ready for use. The entire scene would've been rather tranquil if not for Rila's laborious cries of pain that had been echoing through the compound for three whole days. The women who had been caring for her and the first ones to lend a hand all tried to ease her pain, but to no avail. No apothecaries, ointments, nor alcohol could help to numb, dull, or block the pain so they were all preying to the sand goddess to ease Rila's suffering. Faya had to squeeze and push her way through all of the women who crowded the agonizing woman but when she broke through the final line she yelled "Rila!"

At the sound of her name, Rila instantly collapsed onto the bed. Her arms flopped to her sides and her head fell upon the pillow that waited below and her body relaxed as the convulsions ended. This startled the women caring for her but they calmed when they saw the slow and labored rise and fall of tired Rila's chest.

"Please," she gasped through breaths of gratitude, "whoever has ebbed my pain, let me see you. For goddess' sake at least let me know your name."

"Rila!" Faya trotted over to where she lay, "Rila, it's me Faya."

"Faya? But you… you're supposed to be…"

"At the spirit temple performing duties, I know. But Rila, I had a vision."

"Not that it isn't a welcome respite Faya, but what vision is so important as to interrupt a sister in labor?"

"Rila, the vision was about your child."

"My child?" Rila's eyes went wide with fear and worry, "Is she cursed? Is she fated with death?" Rila paused for a moment, on the brink of tears, "Will my child even draw breath?"

"Rila calm. Your child lives." Rila sighed with relief, "And it will be a boy."

"A boy…" Rila repeated Faya's words, "But… Then that means…"

With the revelation came a new wave of convulsions and Rila's stretched stomach began to move. After much pushing, screaming, and help from the others, all fell silent as the cry of a baby could be heard under the birthing shawl that covered Rila's lower half. The maidens quickly cleaned off the baby, wrapped it in an orange tinted towel, and lowered him into the mothers waiting arms.

"Oh how I have labored for you my child." Rila said through a tight grin. The baby in her arms was unmistakably a boy. Aside from the obvious features that made him a boy, his chin was much more prominent than the girls that were usually born and his hands, though fat and wrinkly had a grip like iron.

"Faya," she had finally said after a long stare at her child, "send for the seer. I want this vision interpreted."

"I am already here." A frail voice spoke from a corner of the room. The seer, or Allmother as the Gerudo called her, was an old woman at the ripe age of 60 with short greying hair and pounds of ornamental jewelry on her wrists and around her neck that clinked noisily when she walked. She was dressed in a large patterned poncho that covered her body down past her knees. She slowly stood and shuffled her way to Rila's side where she sat once more on a chair that waited for her.

"Allmother," Rila was surprised that the old woman had been sitting in the same room the entire time and that she had not noticed, "Are you always where you are needed before it is known?"

"I may be old my child, but I am not unobservant. This child has been in delivery for over three days. If this is not divine intervention, I don't know what is."

"Faya has had a vision, Allmother." Rila began, "Will you interpret it? I do still fear for my child."

"I will try my daughter. I will try. Faya, what vision have you received from the goddess?"

"First I saw the child and the boy it was to be." Faya recounted, "But then I saw a man. Terrible in size and ornate with Gerudo armor. His hands were stained with the blood of many and he wore the gaze of a demon that pierced through my soul. He walked with an army of shadows behind him and darkness engulfed the sky above him. The final vision was that of three triangles of gold floating together into a pyramid and a man laughing as they came together."

The Allmother sat still at the side of the bed, eyes closed and hand rubbing her wrinkled chin. The old woman seemed deep in thought, almost consulting with the goddess herself. Then she opened her eyes but had them focused on some faraway place. A place between the goddess and reality. A place where the answers lie.

"Your child will be a fierce and powerful leader that will leave his mark on the land and on the annals of time. However, darkness will follow him like the debts of a family. Horrible things will befall the boy, things that none would wish on any mortal man. As for these triangles of gold… I can only glean that they are the source of this darkness that trails behind your child."

"Allmother you…" Rila spoke in an incredulous tone, "you don't believe any of that, do you? A child cannot have such a cursed fate."

"I believe that the goddess does not lie my child," her eyes came back to focus on Rila and the child in her arms, "But I also believe that nothing is written in stone just yet. Given the right motivation and under the right guidance and mentoring you might find that these premonitions may never come to pass. Precautions can and will be set to prevent this future from plaguing your child."

The room was silent in wake of the Allmother's words until Faya spoke up, "So Rila, what is your childs name?"

At this the room and hallway broke into a cacophonous blast of laughing and talking and even some arguments over the simple question.

"I was actually thinking of a simple name like…"

"THE CHLD'S NAME!" Although the Allmother was old she still commanded her voice with an authoritarian boom that hushed every sound in the room within the first syllable.

"The child's name will be…"

"Ganondorf."

Gasps and whispers made the air heavy with discontent and misunderstanding.

"B-but..." Rila stuttered, "But Allmother. Isn't it our way for the mother to choose the name of her own child? And that name… it is a cursed name. It is bad enough that my child's fate is cursed. I will not have his name cursed as well."

For a moment the entire room and even those standing in the hallway fell deathly silent in anticipation. The Allmother was wise and her wisdom was mostly unquestioned, and when it was there was no voice to it.

"It is true," the Allmother smiled, "that the name means 'one of a cursed fate' and it is also true that the boys fate is cursed. But do you forget our laws Rila? If our land produces surplus, do we not share with the other tribes? If a child harms another, does that child not receive punishment befitting the transgression? If one of our kind is slain, do we not seek equal justice from those who have wronged us? Our society is built on a balance where the same material levels the scales. And we will deal with this vision in the same manner. For with a cursed fate, a cursed name will balance the scales. They will oppose each other. In a sense, they will cancel each other out."

The room was suffocated with silence and time itself seemed to stop in wait for a decision to be made.

"But," the Allmother broke the silence like a boulder through a house, "it is also law that a mother name her own. Thus, my child Rila, is your choice. What is your child's name?"

People started to shift about as the expectation took a physical toll on the waiting bystanders. Rila took a long look at the small innocent child that had fallen asleep in her arms. Surely her child would not be the center of such ill fortune. But Rila could not dismiss the signs and the council of her people.

When Rila had finally made a decision, she rose to her feet with the child and walked out of the room and exited the entire compound. The desert sun was behind the protective mountains and the beginning stars signifying the approach of the twilight shone in the sky. The people filed out of the housing and mobbed the mid-section between Rila and the compound. After a while with her back turned to her sisters she turned around just in time to catch the Allmother slowly shuffle into the open with her wooden cane in hand. When all eyes were on her she took a deep breath and lifted the baby high above her head with both hands.

"Behold! The next king of the Gerudo!"

In a wave of heads, the Gerudo women all dropped to their knees and bowed their heads from front to back. Only the Allmother, her bones too old to kneel, simply bowed her head as she leaned against the wooden cane.

"He shall be given the respect and privileges due to any ranking individual of the Gerudo and any insubordination will be dealt with according to our laws. He will lead our people with dignity and respect and our enemies will tremble at his gaze. Sisters, watch over my child. Guide him, teach him, and train him so that when he is capable, he will lead our race to glory. With the goddess as my witness and with the Allmother's blessing, I name thee…"

"Ganondorf. King of the Gerudo!"


	2. Chapter 2

Part I – A King is Born

Chapter II – Stolen Origins

Today was a special day. Or at least it was supposed to be. Ganondorf turned eight years old today and nobody seemed to notice. Everybody looked as if it was just a regular day. Other birthdays had been huge occasions with Gerudo crowding him and showering him with gifts. But even for a normal day, something seemed different. The people still greeted him the same way, bowing their heads and softly saying his name, but there were no broad smiles and some even seemed somber at his very presence. Ganondorf though didn't really take this to heart. He had been told that he was becoming an adult and that today he would finally get the coveted soul gem that all the Gerudo had bonded to their foreheads. In fact, becoming an adult had many perks. The first of which was that he was now permitted to train in the training tent at the back of the compound. Ganondorf was headed there now and he loved the sight of it. It was a giant tent that rivaled the compound's mountainside structures. It was made of a brown cloth that was pitched up high in three places with a parting in the cloth that served as an opening in the front. As he approached the tent his mother stepped out into the heat and the blinding light carrying a small wooden cube ornate with golden corner guards.

"Momma!" Ganondorf called and ran toward his mother who squatted down on her toes and laid the cube down on the ground before embracing her child.

"Hello, little one!" she laughed.

"Today's my birthday!" the kid said excitedly to his mother. He knew that, out of everyone in the world, she was the most likely to remember the occasion today, but he didn't want to take that chance.

"I know. You turn eight years old today. That is why," Rila dropped to one knee, picked up the solid wood cube from the floor, and dusted it off, "I've got you a special birthday present."

"But how do you open it?" the cube had no notable hinges or a seam that separated a top from the rest of it. It just looked like a wooden cube with golden corners and the Gerudo symbol emblazoned in gold on the top.

"Watch." Rila reached up to her forehead and unclipped her bright blue sapphire soul gem from the silver ornament bonded to her skin. She was extremely gentle with it as she lowered it towards the golden symbol on the cube. Ganondorf was amazed when the symbol began to slightly glow. But the glow soon rose in intensity until the light emanating from it was so bright the two had to cover their eyes and the Gerudo walking around stopped and watched the event unfold. Then the light abruptly ended and a small pop came from the cube. Rila replaced her soul gem to its rightful place on her head and then opened the newly seamed box in her hand. Inside lay a small medallion around the size of Ganondorf's palm. The sun's light danced on the polished silver with inlaid gold and splintered violently into dazzling rays when it hit the dark red gemstone that nestled itself securely in the middle of the pendant.

"This is your soul gem Ganondorf. It adorned the head of our last great king a hundred years ago and, as is tradition, it is passed on to you." Rila placed the silver piece in Ganondorf's hand and smiled at his amazement and wonder.

"Is it a ruby?" the boy asked looking up.

"No. That, my son, is a blood diamond and, like you, it is the rarest and possibly the only of its kind. It is the most respected stone both in our ranks and our politics."

The gem seemed to sparkle with delight at the touch of its new owners hands as Ganondorf rolled over the jewelry, observing it with keen wondrous eyes.

"Wow." Was the only thing he could whisper when his mother closed the box and stood up straight.

"Come with me, it is time it was bonded to you and time you became a true Gerudo." She led Ganondorf around the back side of the mountain and into the stone compound with all the eyes of the people around following them.

The inside of the main compound was huge and had miles of winding tunnels carved deep within the protective mountain. Sleeping quarters, kitchens, dining rooms, and infirmaries were the bulk of what was on the inner parts of the compound, as jail cells and dungeons made up the exposed stone structures outside the mountain. Hidden switches and secret doors concealed passageways that led into the inner compound where the rest of the Gerudo population lived. But Rila was leading Ganondorf farther into the deep corridors than he had ever gone before. Children were not allowed around this part of the compound and Ganondorf could see why. The halls were lined with pieces of armor and there were rooms dedicated to weapons that looked sharp enough to cleave a man in half by merely touching him. Other rooms were filled with gold and open chests that held artefacts more valuable than the most adorned jewelry.

Ganondorf was amazed that the tunnels ran for so long. They must've been walking for at least an hour and the lanterns that lit the way stopped showing up every so often as the white light they gave off was replaced with a red ominous glow. With it came a stuffy atmosphere that smelled of ashes and metal. The hall finally let out into a fantastically large room that echoed each footstep and had a red glowing hearth at the far end with two people tending to it. The mother and son approached a large stone slab and one of the people attending the hearth left the glowing fire pit to meet the new arrivals. The woman wore a frightening mask with two horns that curved toward the back of the head and teeth that were forever gnashing. The eyes were just two pits of the darkest black that made night jealous and when she spoke the words came from holes in between the teeth in the mask. Rila took the headpiece from Ganondorf and handed it to the forge hand who looked over every inch of the medallion several times, turning it around and around again only stopping every so often to exhale in what seemed to be admiration for its masterful craft.

"This is old silver," the person behind the mask said, "and very old magic. It will take some time to get it ready for the bonding process."

"That is fine," Rila bowed to the masked figure, "we can wait."

Rila walked Ganondorf over to the large stone slab and sat him down next to her facing away from the forge. Ganondorf lay his head on his mother's lap and she began to stroke his bright orange hair. Ganondorf's hair was straight and sloped toward the back of his skull where it piqued up like a tail. It was handsome enough but a portion of the mane at his temples had recently been growing in and threatened to connect his eyebrows with the rest of his hairline. It was a feature he had inherited from his father. The simpleton was probably still in his big tent in the tribe to the north calling himself king. "King Hyrule" he called himself, Rila thanked the goddess that it was the only thing he inherited from the old fool. Though Rila was actually cutting that back recently with his regular haircuts. She didn't think it looked too good. Certainly not befitting a king.

"Momma," the child spoke in a bored tone, "could you tell me a story?"

"Which story would you like to hear, little one? You've heard them all almost a hundred times over."

Ganondorf sighed in deep thought. The boys inhale filled out the rough folds of cloth that served as his shirt and he kicked off both his small leather sandals that were ready to fall off anyway. Ganondorf was so active around the tribe and with the other children that he needed new sandals almost every week. There was a new scab, cut, bruise, or blister that the child constantly came home with. Rila did not like to see these things on her son. She hated to see her child get hurt.

"Tell the one with the song." he finally said decisively.

Rila smiled, "That one was always your favorite. Ok." Rila took a deep breath and started her story.

"There was once a time long ago when the people of this world lived as one in the center of this land. The people were prosperous, hardworking, and had a deep respect for one another. However, the king was an evil, plotting, and selfish king who thought only for himself and his own gain. Many knew of his intentions and the extent of his corruption, but none dared to speak but a word in defiance as doing so surely meant death or worse. But a band of rebels sought to bring down this oppressive monster and deliver the people from his tyranny. But they were betrayed by their own kind and when they were brought to trial, they were banished to the desert and their names were hated throughout the kingdom. Nyru as cast as an evil and conniving witch who sucked the souls from children. This was a lie. Nyru was really the wisest and kindest woman in all the kingdom. She was so smart that she could weave spells that were so complex even the most seasoned wizard would be amazed. But her spells were only used to help the weak and poor and she never kept anything to herself. Din was cast as a mindless monstrosity whose only emotions were rage and anger. But these were all lies too. Din was indeed a mountain of a man, but he was still a man nonetheless. He was the most compassionate man who ever lived and he was just as protective. Finally, there was Farore who was cast as a thief and a traitor. But Farore was a thief that only took from those who had too much and gave to those who had none. She was a hero to many people and had a heart of gold. All three were brought to the desert and left without water or food to die a terrible and painful death.

"But fate had another plan for them. For days they walked the desert together until they found a river that ran deep into a stone ground. The trio were so happy and so thirsty that they drank the river almost dry. Only a small stream was left running within a deep canyon when they had finished drinking. The river, however, was a sacred river of the sand goddess and to see it reduced to a weak stream infuriated the goddess. 'WHO HAS DESTROYED MY BEAUTIFUL RIVER AND REDUCED IT TO A PETTY STREAM!' The goddess' voice shook the very ground and churned the sands as it seemed to emanate from everywhere. She appeared to the three thieves in a blinding light and clothed in golden armor. 'Who are you and why do you admonish us so?' the three called. 'I am the goddess of these desert sands and the river you have so violently destroyed was a beautiful masterpiece. What do you say before you die?' Farore then spoke, 'Please, we do not mean to trespass. We were banished from our home for doing only good for our people. We have nowhere else to go.' The goddess spoke softer then, 'My heart is moved to your plight. But I cannot overlook this transgression. For this, I will make you a deal.'

"Nyru motioned the others to kneel with her, 'We wish to become your followers, oh goddess.' The goddess then nodded in approval, 'I will grant thee hospitality under my roof and you will share in a portion of my power. However, your punishment will be severe and will stretch across all your generations.' The three said in response, 'We are prepared to carry your blessing and your curse.' as refusing would've meant death. The goddess held a hand above their heads, 'your people will henceforth be known as the Gerudo, the People of Shadow and you will have thieving skills surpassed by none. Your daughters will be as beautiful as the sun and will be twice as deadly.' The three responded, 'you have surely blessed us, oh Goddess.' But the goddess was not finished and frowned, 'you forget your burdens. For your transgressions you are cursed to only have daughters and all of your successive daughters will be likewise cursed to only give birth to women. Only every one hundred years will your people know the birth of a male child. He shall be the king of all Gerudo and all will bow to his divine rule. It is forbidden for the king to bed another Gerudo so your daughters will be forced to prostrate themselves to other tribes and lay with men from other places in order to conceive. Now, you will bear a symbol as my people and it shall be fused to you as a symbol of your blessing and your curse.' The goddess produced three gemstones embedded into silver and gold medallions. A sapphire for Nyru, emerald for Farore, and," Rila tousled Ganondorf's hair, "a blood diamond for Din. 'These are your soul gems.' The goddess spoke, 'These will be fused to your foreheads, becoming part of your being. Part of your soul. You will pass them down through the generations and more can be obtained at my spirit temple in the desert. They are your people's beautiful disfigurement and you will brandish them with pride.' The medallions glowed white with heat and were burned into the foreheads of the exiled. The silver and gold bonded instantly and the Goddess' magic made the process painless. 'Finally, as is the nature of the desert, your children will be frightened and uncomfortable being born in such an arid place. I grant you a song for you to sing to your children and to teach your daughters to sing to their children. It will calm their spirits and make them one with the desert.'"

Rila looked at Ganondorf who, through his halfway sleepy gaze, waited for her to sing. When she sang, her voice echoed through the room in a chorus repetition and her voice was as smooth as the finest silk. The song was so powerful that it seemed that time flowed and shifted in rhythm to the melodic and flowing notes. The song commanded time itself.

"Oh child,

Sleep my child,

And all the world will release itself unto you.

Oh child,

Sleep my child,

And when you wake the world will belong all to you.

You'll have power for your might,

And have wisdom as your light,

Courage wanes so don't be late,

and be wary of your wand'ring gait

Oh child,

Wake my child,

Because the world waits for you to begin your rule.

Oh child,

Wake my child,

For all the world waits for your return,

wake my child."

Ganondorf had fallen asleep before the final verse had ended. The masked Gerudo returned to Rila and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"The soul gem is ready to be bonded to the child's body and soul."

Rila nodded and carefully lowered Ganondorf's head onto the stone tablet and rolled him onto his back. The woman then signaled to the assistant who picked up a pair of iron tongs and used them to pick up the glowing medallion form the blazing hearth. The one with Rila then produced a wooden bowl of white powder in her other hand.

"This will put him into a deep sleep and numb his body to the bonding. We will tend to him if you wish to excuse yourself."

"I will stay with my child."

"If you insist."

The woman sprinkled the powder over Ganondorf's face and her child slumped into an even more relaxed state. One that resembled a coma rather than sleeping. The assistant then arrived with the glowing ornament in the pair of tongs. The white hot metal was then lowered carefully and slowly towards the child's forehead with the masked woman guiding it to be perfectly center. Before it touched her son, Rila closed her eyes. She hated to see her child get hurt.


	3. Chapter 3

Part I – A King is Born

Chapter III – The Curse

 _Ganondorf stood alone in a field of green staring blankly at a giant tree that stood in the middle of his vision and towered his small frame. The tree rustled slightly in the breeze, the leaves dancing in the wind and making the light sparkle behind it. Ganondorf spoke to the tree in his eight-year-old voice, "I am Ganondorf, King of the Gerudo and I am here for my birthright."_

 _The trees leaves rustled again in the wind and the bark groaned slightly as if in complaint with Ganondorf's very presence. At this Ganondorf gritted his teeth in bitter anger at the tree's defiant opposition to his demands._

" _You will give me what I want or you will suffer a fate worse than death!" Ganondorf gave the tree a stare of pure hatred and evil as he slowly walked toward its trunk. At first a couple of leaves began to lose their color and wither on their stems. But the closer that Ganondorf got, the more the leaves began to turn and wilt. Soon the first leaves broke from their branches and floated to the ground. Then they dropped in heaps flittering and jumping down to the earth just in time for Ganondorf's bare feet to crunch them pleasingly. The bark even began to fade from a beep brown to a light grey making the trunk look more akin to that of ash than wood. Ganondorf stopped just about a yard from the tree, crunching a few more leaves, and a great wind exploded from behind the tree. In an instant the entire tree was reduced to ash and it along with the leaves from its branches rushed at Ganondorf with gale-like force. Ganondorf simply covered his face with an arm and the debris seemed to flow over him without even getting close. When he uncovered his face a massive treasure had replaced the tree that towered over him. Three six inch thick triangles made of solid gold rotated together on an invisible center axis._

 _Ganondorf was overtaken with wonder at the amazing treasure that was now his to claim. He stretched out his arm to take what he knew could give him the world twice over. Ganondorf was a hair, a breath, a single twitch away from grabbing the power that was owed him from birth, but he stopped. An intense burning erupted from his forehead and his hand bolted from reflex to the spot on his forehead where his soul gem should've been. Ganondorf dropped to his knees and began to frantically scratch at his forehead trying fruitlessly to reach the source of the searing pain. He screamed in frustration and agony as pieces of his skin fell from his red hands and warm blood streaked down his face. Then a whistling sound was produced from above and Ganondorf slowly unfurled himself to stare at the jet black sky. A single dot of light streaked across the sky above leading a tail of yellow light behind it. It slowed above him as it came out of the summit of its arc and careened down toward Ganondorf. The closer it got to him the more it looked like an arrow cloaked in a brilliant white light. But Ganondorf didn't look away, he couldn't, he didn't have the will to. His energy was drained from him as if he had just fought the toughest fight of his life. The arrow fell closer and closer to his face until it pierced his forehe…_

Ganondorf bolted upright in his bed and gasped for air. He was in a cold sweat and tears streaked his bright red cheeks that almost seemed to glow in his pitch-black room. When he had calmed himself down Ganondorf realized that it was not his cheeks that were glowing but a lantern that his mother held in her lap as she sat on the side of his bed. She stared at him with a concerned look and Ganondorf felt ashamed at his display of cowardice.

"Did you have a bad dream?" Rila quietly asked. Ganondorf hugged his knees and nodded sadly.

"Ganondorf there is no reason to be ashamed of a dream. What was it about child?" Ganondorf simply sunk his face deeper into his knees.

"Come here honey." Rila reached out from her shawl towards her son. Ganondorf let out a long sigh and slowly inched his way toward his mother who, when he was within range, wrapped him protectively in her arms.

"It couldn't have been that scary. Was it about a monster?" Ganondorf shook his head.

"Did anyone hurt you?" Ganondorf shook his head again but with a little hesitation.

"Did you do something bad?" Ganondorf hesitated even longer than before but again shook his head. Rila buried her chin in her child's hair and sighed almost giving up. After a little while of contemplation, Rila slowly lifted her chin off of Ganondorf's head and softly asked "Ganondorf, were there three gold triangles in your dream?"

The child picked his face up out of his knees and looked inquisitively at his mother. He nodded slowly and Rila's stare unfocused into her mind. Her eyes were frantic and frightened as they darted around looking for explanations. Ganondorf placed a hand on the back of his mother's hand and she snapped back to reality, blinking rapidly with her return.

"It's alright honey," Rila said when she finally gathered herself, "it was just a dream. Go back to sleep, it won't bother you again."

Ganondorf hugged his mother, gave her a kiss on the cheek, and climbed back into his cloth bed. Rila walked to the door and before walking out said in a quiet, caring voice, "Love you."

"Love you too." Ganondorf sleepily said back. When Rila closed the door Ganondorf reached up and felt the unnatural curves and bumps of the soul gem that now adorned his forehead and the damp cloth that covered it that warded off infection. He could still feel the blood diamond underneath the cloth centered on his forehead and the long piece of silver that came off its surrounding metal and traced down to part his eyebrows just above the bridge of his nose. He finally decided that staying up all night was not very effective at preparing him for training in the morning so he closed his eyes and tried to get some sleep.

…

As soon as the door to her son's room closed, Rila made a mad dash down the hallway and zig-zagged through many other corridors calculating the fastest rout to the Allmother's chambers. She was going so fast that she flew past the door and had to skid to a stop before doubling back to burst through the door into the dimly lit room. The Allmother was giving a lesson to three upcoming priestesses and each head spun around in surprise as Rila slammed the door open with the full force of her body. There was a brief awkward silence that seemed to last forever, but Rila soon spoke, "You cursed my child." Rila raised a finger at the Allmother and began to stalk slowly towards her.

"Leave us" she told the cross-legged girls who got up and started to gather their things in mild confusion.

"NOW!" the Allmother yelled and the girls frantically scrambled with their things out the door. Once all the girls had filed out and the door closed, the Allmother shot Rila a look that would have stopped any other Gerudo in their tracks. But Rila was beyond caring and didn't stop walking until she was just where the students were sitting before the Allmother.

"Rila," the Allmother said as if scolding a child, "I understand that you are scared but there is no need for…"

"You understand nothing," Rila sneered at the old woman sitting in her wooden chair, "You never had a child much less one who was cursed before they even left the womb! You said the visions would never come true, that the premonitions would never come to pass."

"Rila, I never said that they…"

"But you lied! You game him a name that was just as cursed as his future. You said your name would give him balance, that they would cancel out but you lied!"

"Rila, watch your tongue. You do not…"

"You didn't keep your promise," Rila was getting louder and her voice grew hysterical with her anger and despair, "the visions, they are coming true. He has nightmares about these… these gold pyramids. He dreams of the darkness that you said consumes his fate. YOU said it all. You've doomed my child. My child will have death chasing him throughout his life. My child will be a king of darkness. My child will die cold and alone And It IS ALL YOUR FAUL-"

"ENOUGH!" with this the Allmother slammed both of her bare palms on the chair's armrests so hard she bolted onto her feet. The armrests snapped with the otherworldly force that was just blasted at them and they each flew clear to each side of the room. Rila had seen the Allmother frustrated before, as being mother to an entire race of women was bound to be stressful, but for the Allmother to get angry was reaching untreaded ground.

"Rila, you are acting foolish and without thought. Now I will give you my council and I advise that you not only think about what I tell you now but also what I told you those eight short years ago. Your child's fate is cursed, that much has not changed, but only with the right guidance will he be kept from that evil. Only when the child is old enough to assume the responsibilities of the king will the visions manifest themselves. You are a mother and protective behavior is to be expected but do not forget your place Rila. You are still Gerudo, and I am still your Allmother."

Rila looked down in shame and defeat. She felt like a child again after one of her temper tantrums.

"I'm… sorry Allmother. I was out of line."

There was a long silence as if the elderly woman had put Rila in a more professional form of "time out". After the moment of discipline had passed, the Allmother sighed replacing her scolding gaze with a softer compassionate smile at her ashamed daughter.

"I do know what it's like to love something so much that you are afraid to lose it. I would be nothing without the Gerudo. You lashed out because you were afraid for your child, as would I. I can respect that. There are no charges. No penalty nor punishment… you may go."

With that Rila bowed and turned towards the door. Before she could take her first step the door opened and one of the priestesses poked her red haired head through the opening.

"A-Allmother?" the girl stammered.

"Ah Niante. Please, fetch the girls so that we can conclude our lesson."

Right away Allmoth-"

"Oh and, while you're out, fetch a new armchair. This one has…" she glanced at the splintered remains of the chair behind her, "broken. Could you do that for me dear?"

"Yes high priestess." The young girl left.

As Rila left the Allmother's chambers she made the door close a little harder than she should've and walked back down the hallway towards her room. The slam of the door made the small form of a child cringe in recoil with the noise. He had been there listening to the entire argument because he couldn't sleep. Tears streaked his cheeks and he fought to keep his sobs down as he repeated the word that they used to describe him.

Cursed.

…

"AGAIN!" Ganondorf's training mentor yelled for the twentieth time. Or was it the twenty-third? Ganondorf lost count like he lost the feeling in his feet. Yet he continued to do the exercise of a rising triple kick accented with a landing roundhouse. Blisters had long since popped on his feet and a disgusting combination of pus and blood splattered on the round wooden training post and the floor around it which already had a fair share of dried-on stains.

"AGAIN!" his mentor reiterated as his roundhouse ended. He took two steps back and pushed through the move again. His three rising kicks were more like steps climbing the vertical post but he figured they would be more effective on a real target. He then quickly landed on his left foot, spun on his right, and lifted his left for the heel to connect with the wood. He took two steps back and waited for that one word that echoed throughout the tent. When his mentor hesitated, he turned around inquisitively.

"That's enough for today. We will be learning more techniques and doing more endurance tests tomorrow. For now, go practice on your blocking with the hand-to-hand posts."

The feeling rushed back to Ganondorf's soles as he slowly walked over to one of the many sparring posts embedded into the stone ground. Ganondorf left bloodied footprints on the stone as he walked between two girls already sparring. The sparring posts were multi-tiered with holes for sticks to be placed. The tiers had rotating mechanisms that locked and rotated with each block and push. Ganondorf had no idea how they worked, just that the pattern was always the same and missing a step was ill advised. The girls to either side of him made fleeting glances as the only acknowledgement to his existence and then continued to spar with the rotating arms. Ganondorf barely nodded to them as he reached for top of the post. He pulled out four arms, fitted into two slots on the top and bottom rotators. Then lifted the wood to be level with his head. The mechanisms clicked into place and, after taking his stance, Ganondorf began his sparring with a quick forearm to the arm on the upper left. He flowed through using his right forearm to block the bottom right post. Then he used his left palm to block the top right arm and then quickly smacked his right palm into the lower left arm headed for his mid-section. He went and blocked the upper left with his forearm again to begin the crisscross pattern over again.

Soon pain started to throb in his forearms and his palms began to go numb with the repeated abuse he willfully put them through. The pain was almost indiscernible from the pain in his feet and his eyes even started to water. Yet he pushed through the pain keeping in pace with the spinning wooden arms. Suddenly he caught the frame of a girl staring at him out of the corner of his eye and he hesitated out of confusion. Even though he hesitated for less than a second, it was enough for one of the arms to get past his defenses and whack him hard on his right temple. Ganondorf rubbed his head as he rose to stare back at the girl.

"What do you want?" he asked the girl a little annoyed that she had stopped sparring and stopped his own.

"You're doing it wrong." the girl said walking towards him. She was dressed like all the other trainees with white pants frayed at the bases and an orange short sleeved shirt that had cuts along the bottom. She also had the features of a typical Gerudo with a pointed nose and a sharp chin. However Ganondorf found himself mesmerized by her eyes that glowed a bright golden hazel and had a matching topaz soul stone on her forehead.

"What?" Ganondorf shook off the pain in his head and focused his vision on the girl. She reached out toward him and grabbed his arm. She lifted it up to his starting post and touched the wood to the middle of his forearm.

"You need to hit it here. You keep hitting it with your elbow and you'll hurt yourself."

"Um… Th-thanks I guess. What's your…"

"NABOORU!" a woman yelled from behind them, "Get back to sparring. You are not to speak to him."

After a final glance, Nabooru walked back to her post and they both resumed their sparring.

…

When the sun had sunken beyond the mountains and the air became a frigid gale, the trainees were dismissed to their bunks inside a different section of the compound. The bunks were all triple-stacked beds and many of them were empty. There were 192 beds in total and only enough heads to fill about half. Out of the 96 children in the three age groups that bunked in the compound, only one slept in the back-most bunk all alone. Ganondorf was given only a bucket of water and ice to soak his bloodied feet and sooth the pain in his hands. He haphazardly attempted to wrap his wounds in some linen he had also been given and tried to sleep amidst the pain that coursed through his sores and joints. After a few sleepless minutes tossing and turning a small silhouette appeared beside his bed. He gasped loudly but it was cut short by a small hand pressed to his mouth. Ganondorf recognized the feel of her hands and slowly calmed down. The hand was removed from his mouth when his breathing regulated and the silhouette bent down to light a lantern but only kept the flame as low as it could giving off a feint glow that allowed Ganondorf to make out the small features of Nabooru.

"What are you…"

"Shhhhh." Nabooru cut him off. She bent down and grabbed a small bowl with a reddish paste in it. She moved the lantern down to Ganongorf's feet and began unwrapping them. Blood and other fluids had begun to soak through the wraps and the scabs had barely formed on the child's wounds. Nabooru quietly lathered the multitude of cuts and broken blisters with the gritty paste. The paste stung like needles and Ganondorf clenched his teeth in pain but the stinging was soon replaced by a cooling sensation that numbed his wounds. She did the same with the other sores on his feet and hands and the same sensations stung then numbed the pain, flowing through them all. As the last stings of pain were numbed away, the girl whispered to Ganondorf's surprise, "Hey, why didn't the doctors tend to these sores?"

"Huh?" Ganondorf repeated her hushed tone.

"Why didn't the grown-ups do this for you?"

"Because…" Ganondorf had an answer but it was hard to say, "because I'm cursed."

The little girl snickered a bit, "You're not cursed."

"The grown-ups all say so."

"Well," Nabooru sat down at the head of Ganondorf's bed, "My mom tells me stories and in them only bad people get cursed."

Ganondorf eyed the girl suspiciously as she continued, "You're not a bad person so there's no way you're cursed!" Nabooru smiled broadly at her logic.

"Yah," Ganondorf sighed, "I guess you're right."

"Feel better?"

"Yes." Ganondorf smiled, "Thanks."

"OK." Nabooru stood to walk away.

"Can we be friends?" Ganondorf blurted out loud by accident.

Nabooru hesitated and then turned back towards Ganondorf averting her eyes, "The grown-ups won't like it."

Ganondorf dropped his whisper even lower, "Then we can be secret friends."

Nabooru laughed behind her hand to muffle it. Ganondorf liked making her laugh. She reciprocated his hushed tone, "Ok, secret friends."

Nabooru finally turned around and blew out the light in the lantern. Ganondorf smiled to himself and then let sleep finally, after so much pain, take him over.


	4. Chapter 4

Part I – A King is Born

Chapter IV – The First Trial

It had been at least 5 years since Nabooru and Ganondorf had started their friendship. It was a tough and rocky friendship ridden with secret meet-ups, secret messages, and a lot of sneaking around at night, but the moments they spent together they cherished. Early in their friendship they made a pact that when they were older and allowed to go on missions and treasure hunts for the tribe, they would go on those adventures together. However, that was four years ago and in four years the two got unsettlingly close and although their sneaking skills improved, the two slipped up enough to cause whispers around the compound. But soon the whispers wouldn't even matter because this day at age 13 the two would take their final tests and become Gerudo Soldiers and earn their first real blades. Ganondorf would not take the throne until he was 20 years old. Before he got that old he was to work alongside the Gerudo to learn how to rule his people.

"I'm nervous." she confessed to him the night before, "what if I don't make it?"

"I know you'll make it. You're better than me." Ganondorf tried to encourage her.

"Thanks. I needed the confidence booster."

Ganondorf smiled a goofy smile and it made Nabooru snicker. It only made Ganondorf smile more and soon they were both laughing quietly on the roof of the compounds outer structure.

Then they stared at the sky for a long while. They did this often, just enjoying each other's company. But Ganondorf found himself looking less at the stars and instead staring at Nabooru. She had sometimes caught him zoned out on her and it made them both laugh nervously and break into rashes on their faces. They also held hands at times even though they didn't see any harm in it. Ganondorf liked to caress her soft calluses and his ever growing fingers, large and muscular, contrasted starkly with the long and slender digits of Nabooru's hand that fit neatly in between his. She sometimes smelled of a bees-honey perfume when they met up like this and, although Ganondorf didn't know why, it surely wasn't unwelcome.

"Well," Nabooru yawned while stretching, knocking Ganondorf from his trance, "I guess we should get back for some good sleep before our big test."

Ganondorf let out a bigger sigh "Yah, I guess."

"You _will_ pass." Nabooru reassured him.

This made Ganondorf feel better and they both got up to descend the compounds roof. When they got inside they silently made their way to the trainee bunks, all the while holding hands.

…..

Ganondorf had trained in the desert before, it was a requirement of all trainees to train for at least a year in the desert, and through all his training he had deduced one thing from the experience. The desert was an evil place. The sun was a deadly fire floating ominously in the sky, punishing anything below it. The wind blew the superheated air which carried burning shards of sand that embedded themselves in anything they touched. The only living things in the desert other than the Gerudo were the nuisance birds called guay, a deep purple bird with long and sharp beaks that fed on insects and were terrifying in flocks, and the burrowing leevers, large green insects that survived by burrowing deep into the sands to find natural streams running under the ground. Ganondorf had herd of leevers but had been told that they were too dangerous for trainees to fight due to their defenses.

Chief instructor Raan led two rows of trainees through the desert behind the mountains of the compound. The sands were calm at first, blistering hot and getting everywhere, but no breeze to stir the golden waves. But after a while the wind picked up and the desert threw a tantrum as if in complaint with their very presence. When the sands died, the sun sustained the punishment. Yet they continued onward without a single word of complaint. Soon the chief instructor stopped and ordered all the trainees to stand in front of her. Ahead in the distance stood a large wall a little larger than the compound with obstacles between it and the confused trainees.

"Welcome trainees," Raan spoke from behind the group, "to your final trials. Ahead is the endurance test where you will be tested on how long you can burn your energy until you give up. No Gerudo has ever failed this test but… there is always a first time for everything and there look to be some quitters in you lot. Now line up in twos and wait for my signal. Ganondorf, Naboru. You two are at the head of the class so you get to go first. Next is Shala and Tali. Then it's…"

As Raan continued down the list of 32 names in order, Ganondorf and Nabooru took their places next to each other at the starting flag that was less of a flag and more of a tall stick with a few red ribbons tied at the top. The two friends exchanged nervous glances as they stretched getting ready for the obstacle course ahead.

"Alright," Raan yelled when she had listed the last name, "in this obstacle course there are four parts. First there are the hurdles. Jump over them. Nothing tricky about them, it is really that simple. Next is the rope mesh and there are two ways to complete it. You can crawl under or hobble over. Either way if you touch a rope you must circle around back to the start and try again. The third event is a surprise that will test your reaction time and dodging skills. Finally you will rope swing over a pit of quicksand and smash through a single door into the next area. Do _not_ continue to the next test. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes chief instructor Raan." the children said in unison.

"Good. When I give the signal the pair at the flag will rush the course. Remember you are not alone in this. It is not a competition so helping each other out is only allowed, it is encouraged. That said, first runners ready!"

Nabooru and Ganondorf both crouched into their starting positions.

"Set!"

Ganondorf's muscles tensed under his sweat drenched clothes as he focused on the goal ahead.

"GO!"

Ganondorf and Nabooru blasted out of the start, unintentionally spraying the people behind them with sand. Being conditioned to running on rock made navigating the loose sand difficult. But they were also trained to correct, adjust, and adapt to any situation and soon they were running through the desert as fast as they would on solid ground. It wasn't long until they reached the first obstacles. Ganondorf was confident that the hurdles would be no problem and when he got to them he bounded effortlessly over them perfectly each time. When he looked to the left, he and expected Nabooru to be lagging behind. She was actually keeping perfect pace with him though visibly pushing past at her peak already. Then she disappeared from view and when Ganondorf looked back in front of him, he was just able to dive under the rope that was woven between multiple wooden posts to form a grid just high enough off the sand to allow crawling space. Keeping his head to the side and his feet splayed out to prevent anything from hitting the ropes, Ganondorf awkwardly shuffled his body in a strange left-to-right squirm that propelled him forward and pushed the sand out of his way. As soon as he was free of the interlaced rope he took off again in tandem with Nabooru toward the final obstacle. However there was an extensive gap between the two hurdles that seemed to be where the third obstacle should've been.

"Nabooru…" Ganondorf yelled through gasps of scalding air.

"Yah?" Nabooru was not fairing much better gasping and sweating.

"What did Raan say… about… the secret… secret test?"

"That it had… something to do with… with reaction times… and dodging. Ganondorf it could be anything… anything like… like…" Nabooru's voice trailed off. Ganondorf looked at her expecting her to be stalling from fatigue but was confused when he saw her looking wide-eyed at the sky. She then slowly lowered her gaze and pointed to Ganondorf's right and shouted at the top of her lungs, "GUAY!"

Ganondorf snapped his head to the right and had mere seconds to launch himself out of the way of a diving purple bird with a large yet sharp orange beak intended on stabbing his sternum. Ganondorf chanced a look up and was horrified to find the immense black cloud of squawking birds that had appeared out of nowhere. He didn't have time to revel for too long as a few of the territorial birds broke from the morphing ball of guay and dove on an intercept path. Ganondorf had to duck, jump, and sometimes kick and punch birds that came from all directions to avoid being stabbed with the overly sharp beaks. At about four yards away from the final obstacle the guay seemed to either loose interest or had found a more immediate target, maybe the next two trainees. Either way Ganondorf realized that he had pulled ahead of Nabooru and headed toward the last obstruction. The one thing he could think about was jumping the swing and finally finishing this insane trial. Ganondorf reached the swing first and used the rope attached to a propped up wooden beam to swing across a heavily dampened portion of sand. When he reached the other side he threw the rope back over to the other side for the next trainee and stopped to catch his breath and watch Nabooru swing across on the second rope. But Nabooru landed on her foot flat instead of on her heel or her toes and when her foot gave to the side, she tumbled forward in the sand.

"Nabooru!" Ganondorf shouted, running over to the rope to throw it over and then to his friend's side to help. She tried to stand with Ganondorf as a crutch but winced when she put pressure on the ankle proving to Ganondorf that it was sprained.

"Nabooru, your ankle is hurt. I'm going to have to carry you."

"What? No!" she was as stubborn as her pain, "I can walk it."

"No you can't. I'm going to carry you whether you like it or not."

Nabooru let out a groan of frustration as she reached around Ganondorf's neck to reluctantly accept his assistance. The extra weight slowed Ganondorf for a while as he trotted a distance with his feet sinking into the sand more than they had but soon he started to run. The weight proved to be a bit too cumbersome and when he lost his footing a bit Nabooru buried her head in Ganondorf's chest and braced herself for impact. When there was none she looked out to find that Ganondorf was not just running but full on sprinting with her in his arms. His face was taut and his eyes burned with a determination that seemed to come straight from deep in his soul. The determination for someone special to him. Determination for someone he…

Nabooru's thoughts were interrupted as Ganondorf jumped, spun in midair, and then pushed off the ground backwards to crash through a wooden door that splintered and exploded inward with the sheer force of their combined weight. Ganondorf managed to get his feet back under him before he tumbled and slowly stopped himself in the middle of the large room he just crashed into.

"We made it." Ganondorf laughed with a wide grin. He looked to Nabooru who was staring intently at him.

"My hero." she half whispered and smiled as he blushed a bit. They stared deeply into each other's eyes as a new connection was made. Their faces slowly inched closer to each other their noses just a breadth awa-

"GANONDORF!"

The boy's head snapped upright and he spun around to face the instructor that stared at them with concern and contempt.

"What are you doing?"

"Um… Nabooru. She uh… fell."

They stared at each other for a small moment. "…Yes? And?" the instructor motioned impatiently.

"Well uh, she got the wind knocked out of her and I couldn't hear her speak when she tried to tell me something." Nabooru coughed, rather unconvincingly, to try to strengthen his argument.

"OK, but that doesn't explain why you are carrying her."

"Oh, she sprained her ankle. That's how she fell. I couldn't leave her out there."

The instructor was quiet for a while but then deeply sighed and nodded her head.

"Alright. OK, that's good. Ganondorf, you can put Nabooru over there," she motioned behind her to a section with beds and some Gerudo busying about with apothecary supplies, "and they will tend to her. Once you've done that, go and sit there," she motioned to the opposite wall where some rugs and a huge water barrel had been placed, "and wait for the other trainees to arrive."

"Yes ma'am." Ganondorf nodded his head respectively and set toward the makeshift infirmary with Nabooru tightly clinging to him. Only when he set his friend down on a stretcher did he realize how much his body was really working to support both of their weight. Before he could pull away, Nabooru reached for his shoulder and pulled him close to her again.

"Thank you" she whispered and then allowed him to leave. He smiled at her for a moment but when he realized that they were surrounded by grown-ups, he got up to get them both water.


	5. Chapter 5

Part I – A King is Born

Chapter V – The Second Trial

Ganondorf took two water canteens from the tall rack next to the water barrel and filled them to the top by submerging them in the icy water. They had been told that the canteens were actually made out of dried, cured, and resined leever hide. The canteens were hard and Ganondorf could attest to their remarkable durability and incredible insulating properties personally but the curing process left them looking much different than what they were told leever looked like. When they were both filled to the brim, he handed one to Nabooru and then returned to the waiting side. Ganondorf was extremely thirsty so as soon as he got comfortable he took a huge swig of the incredibly cold water. Ganondorf sputtered and coughed when the water bit and stung his throat like he had just swallowed a red coal. His coughing persisted as the first few pairs of trainees burst through newly set doors. Only when the last few trainees exploded through the wood did Ganondorf gain control of his coughing and Nabooru returned with her ankle fully healed. Once all 32 trainees had arrived, chief instructor Raan entered and stood at the front of the room.

"Trainees!" Ran boomed over the small talk of the students. As soon as her voice was heard every student stood and gave her their undivided attention.

"We have a special treat for you today. Our scouts have returned with an excess of game and we are pleased to announce that instead of testing your combat effectiveness on training dummies, you will be sparring with live targets."

The room filled with whispers of concern and confusion as the chief instructor's words sunk in. Even some of the adults standing around whispered nervously to each other.

"Now don't worry, it's all supervised and these live targets can't kill you but don't think they cannot hurt you. They are still wild animals and they have their own natural defenses. Put your knowledge to good use. But enough about the third trial, we are at the beginning of the second. This trial is The Labyrinth." In tandem with Raan's words four holes in the wall were uncovered by stone tablets rising up into the ceiling. Inside each there was a single lantern mounted on the right, a door in the middle, and a series of miniature descending steps covering the left wall.

"These are the individual mazes and each is as difficult as the last. Each has two objectives. First, you must retrieve the treasure. Then, you must exit with said treasure. It would be as easy as I say, but you do have an opponent."

Raan put two fingers to her mouth and whistled as loud as she could. After a second of anticipation, the first door opened and out stepped a woman dressed in steel armor that clanked loudly with each step. A large steel helmet covered her ears and a veil shaded her eyes though didn't completely hide them. Her bright purple soul gem on her head showed through her helmet at the top where a place for it had been cut out. She carried a long tipped spear with golden embellishments on the top and bottom. The armored Gerudo noisily marched over to Raan's side and slammed the spears end on the ground when she stopped.

"This is a palace guard or, as we like to call them, Grunts. They are your only opponent and yet your most dangerous. As you can see they carry heavy steel plate armor, steel helmets, and a steel tipped spear. They also carry personal swords and, in some cases, may even carry a hidden backup dagger." The guard put down her spear and drew her sword and a dagger from her back in unison with Raan's speech. "If a guard spots you, a body, or otherwise has evidence to another entity within the maze, they will sound a whistle and all guards will be on the lookout for you."

"As you no doubt know, we Gerudo are experts at stealth and our senses are more acutely tuned than most of the inhabitants of this land. So, in order to simulate non-Gerudo guards, the helmets they wear obstruct their hearing and the veil over their eyes makes it harder to see in the shadows. However, even though their senses are dulled, they are not blind nor deaf. Do not underestimate them." Raan patted the guards shoulder and she promptly sheathed her weapons, picked up her spear, and entered the door she entered from, firmly closing it behind her.

"You, on the other hand, will not be so handicapped as your adversaries. At the entrance to each maze is a map that will tell you the location of the treasure, the direction of the exit, and the posted guards with their patrol routs. It does not, however, have their emergency patrol routs. Those I will get into later. You will also be equipped with padded footwear, a black thief's outfit, and your own authentic Gerudo dagger." Raan pulled a dagger from the inside of her shoe and held it for the students to see. The polished steel blade was made to perfection and the golden hilt was made so carefully, it seemed that any hand would be comfortable holding it.

"At this time I would like to inform you that any and all weapons used in these trials are real authentic weapons. Forged by our blacksmiths and sharpened to cut even the air to pieces, they are as dangerous as they would be in any battle. That said, remember that these guards are still Gerudo and direct harm to them will not be tolerated. Takedowns are to be done preferably from behind and you must assume the correct prisoner position with a hand over the mouth and a blade at the throat. However, as is the nature of a live action course, trainees are prone to reacting instinctively. Knives have been thrown, fires have been started, and in rare cases lives have been lost in the past. Because of this, if a guard is harmed physically, 20 points will be deducted from your final score." Raan walked towards the middle of the room where a table had been set up with piles of items placed on it.

"We Gerudo pride ourselves on always having an edge over our opponents. Being Gerudo is an advantage in and of itself. We are faster, smarter, stronger, and in many cases we outclass our enemies entirely. However, nothing is set in stone and unexpected events can make a perfect heist go awry. That is why it does not hurt to have a backup plan, or a second edge. That is why you are allowed one piece of special ordinance to take with you into the labyrinth. You may take more than one but each extra piece of equipment is an automatic five points off your final score. I will describe each and give its tactical implementation."

Raan reached over to the first pile on the table and picked up a leather pouch about the size of her hand painted black with a string pulled to close the top. She reached into the bag and produced a small glass sphere with a dark black substance filling the inside.

"This is a true mark of the Gerudo and one of our most common tools, the smoke bomb. Inside these glass pellets is a chemical that, when exposed to the air, instantly creates a smoke screen that covers an area five feet wide and ten feet tall. The smoke is not toxic but the chemicals further sting the eyes and do make it difficult to breath. The veils you used in the sandstorm on the way here will protect your faces until you can escape. Over the course of 30 seconds the cloud will dissipate into the air, hopefully along with you."

Raan put the pouch back and then reached for the next pile of leather pouches tinted a dark red for distinction against the smoke bombs.

"These are more natural than our smoke bombs and since they grow naturally in the world they are used by more than just us Gerudo."

The chief instructor reached into the pouch and in her fingers came out a nut about the size of her thumb. The brown outer shell looked hard though it was split on one end showing a bright yellow center.

"This is a deku nut and _none_ of you will confuse it with a deku seed. Eating one of these will result in severe stomach pains and the swift evacuation of your bowels. Isn't that right, Mara?"

One of the trainers faces grew red with both embarrassment and anger, "Goddess, one time! It happened one time!"

Some of the women around the room began to snicker and even Raan cracked a smile, "An inconvenience to say the least. But, kidding aside," the room quieted, "these are your flash escapes or, as we like to call them, flashbangs. They are called that because when thrown they produce a blinding light and a sharp snap that both blinds and disorients any target looking in the direction of the blast, including you. So please be smart when using them."

Raan grabbed another pouch, this one left a leather brown, and it clacked when it jumped from the table. "This is a bag of rocks."

After a long pause where the trainees stared in concern and intensifying confusion, Raan tipped the bag over her hand and a small smooth pebble fell into her palm to cement her point.

"Rocks. Not the most complicated of tools but an indispensable distraction. The Gerudo have been around for more than 600 years and in all those years there is always one trainee that choses the rocks. The only thing you gain from this piece of equipment is a whole bunch of bragging rights if you succeed."

Raan set the rocks down and then picked up a tube of paper tied by a orange ribbon around the middle from a pile of them.

"This is the most useful item in our arsenal, knowledge. This paper is a map of the compound and has all of the guards patrol routs on it. When I say all, I mean it has the normal routs _and_ the emergency patrol routs for alert mode. It is the ultimate in knowing your enemy."

Then Raan picked up a small wooden club around the size of her forearm, painted red, and bound with a leather grip on one end.

"This is an instant five minute knock-out. Reagular knock-outs in the field normally leave a target incapacitated for two to three minutes. This light and easily concealed weapon gives you precious extra time. Now for your final choice."

Raan set the club down but, because there were no items left on the table, she simply stood in front of the class with her hands behind her back.

"Your final piece of equipment is not for display but is for a display. If requested, you will receive a replica of the treasure you are about to steal. This is the largest and most cumbersome of your equipment choices but it is indistinguishable from the real treasure and will not raise alarm. Any questions?"

"Good!" Raan said after there were none, "Then line up in your order to pick your equipment and then move on to the set-up areas where the first trainees will put on their thieving clothes."

Ganondorf was first in line and thus first to the equipment table.

"What will you have young prince?" Raan asked.

Ganondorf paused for a moment, weighing the options against each other, then simply said, "I'll take the rocks please," and extended his hand to accept them.

Raan smiled in approval but still asked, "Is that all you need?"

"Yes ma'am."

Raan raised her voice unexpectedly, "Ganondorf, our prince, had decided to take the Rock Challenge!"

Raan and the rest of the trainees had a brief round of applause and Raan reached onto the table and grabbed the small brown pouch to give to Ganondorf.

"May the Goddess guide your movements," Raan said as she handed him the invaluable pebbles.

"And may she guide your soul." Ganondorf responded in the traditional acceptance of good luck as he accepted the rocks. Raan patted Ganondorf's shoulder and he walked over to the first set-up zone.

Suddenly, before he got to the area, Raan spoke up again, "Trainees, for the first time in a very long while, a second student has elected to take the Rock Challenge. Nabooru has chosen to chance the impossible!"

Another brief round of applause followed Nabooru to her set-up area. Ganondorf looked at Nabooru with confusion and all she responded with was a tongue stuck straight at him. No other trainees took the rocks, seeing them as too little, and Ganondorf fitted into his thief clothes. The traditional thief's clothes consisted of a long sleeved shirt, slightly baggy pants, padded running shoes, and a mask that covered the trainees' mouth and reflective soul gem perched atop their heads. They were also given a black piece of cloth that was clipped at the waist with pouches on the inside where different tools and equipment could be stashed. Ganondorf placed the pouch of rocks in the belt and, along with Nabooru, Shala, and Tali, awaited the next instruction.

Once all the trainees had lined up before the rooms Raan said, "First trainees, step inside."

All together the trainees stepped inside the one lantern rooms and as soon as they were clear of them the giant stone walls quickly descended behind them. Once the wall touched the floor behind Ganondorf he heard a strange running and clacking sound that followed a rhythmic pattern to his left. The patterned steps had a pebble that had started running left to right down the steps in what Ganondorf recognized as a countdown. He then looked for a map which he found on the wall behind him that had sealed him in the room. Ganondorf figured he had about 20 seconds until the timer ran out and so he took a quick memorization of the map. His target, whatever treasure it may be, was tucked away past a long hallway that looped in on itself with a guard in front of the entrance and guarding the target and the exit was at the end of a corridor at the top that ran left to right and back left again with a guard on each stretch. He took ten seconds to memorize the map, five seconds to finalize his plan of execution, and he used the final seconds to half count, half guess that he had 10.

When the pebble rounded its last step it hit a leaver that simultaneously unlocked the door with a loud click and caused the lantern go out. At the sound of the door unlocking, Ganondorf crept out of the dark room, closing the door slowly and softly in order to remain quiet. Inside, the labyrinth was constructed like a castle with marble pillars lining the hall and on the corners of the intersecting corridors. Lanterns lined the walls but only spaced out enough to allow the most minimal sources Ganondorf flew past the first two both containing dead ends but one containing a guard he had to use a pebble to distract away from the main hall. The last branching corridor had a convenient dark closet that he hid in while the guard blindly walked past chasing the sound of a falling rock. The treasure was past his exit route and after getting past the first guard Ganondorf peered at the guard patrolling the treasure room that he knew he had to confront. He unsheathed his dagger and crept silently behind the guard. When he got close enough he made his movement lightning quick covering her mouth with his hand and placing the blade against her throat just like Raan had said. She was startled at first but stopped herself before she reacted and simply sighed her instincts off. Ganondorf walked her backwards and when they were sufficiently away from the other hallway he removed his hand from her mouth.

"Kill or knocked out?" the guard whispered.

"Kill." Ganondorf wasted no time in his answer. He had already weighed his options and a two minute window to take the treasure and exit was just not enough time. At Ganondorf's response the woman collapsed immediately and he had to frantically catch her mid-fall to stop her from hitting the ground and making a giant explosion of sound that would put the entire maze on alert. A piece of her armor caught on his outfit but it didn't seem to do much damage so he eased her onto the floor and then turned to the end of the hall.

There, a large wooden pedestal held a large golden sword and scabbard that reflected the lantern light brilliantly around the room. He took down the sword and inspected it quickly, finding it of exceptional Gerudo design and make. He then took the scabbard and was annoyed to find it entirely made out of hollow gold instead of a tight wooden fit. This would make the sword clink noisily whenever he moved it. Ganondorf thought for a second then came up with an idea. He took off his shoes and, using his dagger, ripped the padding out of them and skewered them onto the sword before slipping it inside the sheath. The positive outcome was that the sword didn't make the loud jiggling sound when he moved but the negative was that his naked feet now made a fleshy slapping sound on the tiled floor. Ganondorf crept on his toes to counteract the sound his feet made, though it was very annoying, and he fitted the sword on his back using the strap that was hooked to the scabbard.

Backtracking to his exit was not the hardest but he did have to put out a lantern to remain hidden. It was so painless that he didn't even have to throw any rocks until reached the final guard. Her patrol rout didn't extend past the exit door so Ganondorf either had to subdue or distract her. Ganondorf favored distraction over confrontation so when her back was turned he reached into his pouch for a rock. However when he reached in the leather bag it was completely empty and his fingers poked through a hole on the bottom. He cursed under his breath and remembered the guard's armor catching on his clothing. It must've ripped through the pouch and spilled the rocks while her armor made noises when she was being lowered to the floor. Ganondorf decided to round the corner and blow out the lantern he first came up to. In the darkness he was nearly invisible and so he frantically searched around for a different thing he could use as a distraction. An idea hatched in Ganondorf's head when he saw a flint and steel handing on the lanterns side. He removed the leather pouch from his belt, folded it in half, and after unscrewing the oil well cap he stuffed the bag into it up to the drawstrings. When he was satisfied with its soak he dipped the ends of the drawstrings in the oil and replaced the cap. He struck the flint and steel together and, although it was louder than he would've liked, one of the embers touched the string ends and they caught fire. Ganondorf quickly stuffed them into the bag and threw it across the room past the exit door and hitting the ending wall. Unfortunately Ganondorf had been so caught up in his plan that he didn't notice the guard skulking towards his position cautiously in response to the noise he made. She hadn't seen him yet but it was only a matter of time until she stepped into the darkness and spotted him.

Two steps from his undoing, and just as he made the decision to confront, the guard stopped and sniffed the air. Ganondorf dared not to even breathe for fear of being found out. The guard spun around and gasped when she saw that the pouch that Ganondorf had thrown was not only spewing out copious amounts of smoke but was engulfed in a huge flame that was beginning to mark the wall.

"What in the world?!" the guard yelled as she ran over and began to frantically stomp on the little inferno. This gave Ganondorf the perfect opportunity to make a beeline to the door and slip right through to the next trial.


	6. Chapter 6

Part I – A King is Born

Chapter VI – The Third Trial

When Ganondorf stepped away from the labyrinth door, steel bars quickly slid down from the frame. Not knowing what would happen next, he slowly turned around expecting a trap or ambush of some kind. Instead, Ganondorf stood before a large archway that lead out to what seemed like a huge arena. When he stepped out onto the stone floor he was bombarded by the explosive heat of the sun that floated directly overhead. The arena was about 50 feet long and wide with wooden walls backed by stone that stood over ten feet high. The arena was then filled with the sound of over a hundred women yelling, whistling, screaming, and clapping all at once. When his eyes adjusted Ganondorf was amazed that so many Gerudo had crowded themselves atop the arena walls just to watch his final trial. He walked to the center to take in the whole view. He looked around and finally spotted chief instructor Raan standing atop the north wall directly above a large menacing gate in the center. Raan stood to the right of the Allmother and his own mother stood to her left. Rila tried her best to resist the urge to wave at her child but did a terrible job of concealing a wide proud grin. Raan held a hand in the air and slowly the women around the arena stopped cheering to let the chief instructor speak.

"Ganondorf, son of Rila and heir to the Gerudo throne, you have traversed our desert home, navigated a confusing labyrinth, and stolen a precious treasure using only rocks as your tool. Only one more obstacle stands between you and your destiny."

Although Ganondorf kept a respectful stance, his mind was on the strange scuffling sound that emanated from the gate ahead. It sounded like a hundred tiny feet were shuffling in a rhythmic pattern on the stone.

Raan continued, "Your opponent is a savage beast. A monster from beneath the sands. Defeating this burrowing killer will employ all your skill and cunning. Are you prepared to commence your final trial?"

Ganondorf, still confused as to what he was about to face, took the sword from his back, unsheathed it, and tossed the golden scabbard to the side. He swung the sword once, making the pads that were still skewered on it fly to the other side, and took a defensive stance with both hands on the hilt.

Raan nodded and yelled, "Open the gate. Let the final trial commence!"

The massive gate before Ganondorf receded into the ground and the shuffling sound grew louder. Ganondorf's muscles tensed while his mind continued to flounder around trying with all its might to remember the name of the creature that Raan was referring to.

Then it came to him, "Leever."

As soon as the name popped into his head, a purple monstrosity slowly shuffled along the floor out of its prison continually spinning clockwise. The leever was cone shaped and at the top where the point should've been, three large teeth curved in toward the middle, moving back and forth every so often. The surface of the creature was a hexagonal pattern of what seemed to be skin that bulged at the center of each with a couple of short painful looking spines sticking out of them. The bottom was rippling, seemingly keeping the clockwise rotation going, and a band of small black beads around the top looked like the creatures eyes. Ganondorf was lead to believe that leevers were green and no taller than a person's leg, yet this one was purple and was much bigger, coming up to his chest in height. The leever rotated in place for a while, sizing the tall Gerudo boy up. Then they circled around each other, Ganondorf slowly creeping right and the leever shuffling left. Getting a new vantage point and looking at the ground now, he noticed a few small blue pots scattered around the arena all possible of hiding something useful. He set himself in front of one and backed away from the leever slowly. Seeing an opportunity, it surged forward emitting a pulsating gurgling sound that chilled Ganondorf to the bones. He faded left and sliced with his sword. Ganondorf expected his blade to bite flesh and for the beast to scream in agony, but instead his sword emitted a shower of sparks as if he had struck metal and the leever careened without hesitation into the pots that that he had stood in front of. The leever was so uninhibited by Ganondorf's parry that it rallied around to set itself up for another attack. The boy frantically searched the shattered remains of the pots and just before the leever got into position, he found a single deku nut among the shards of clay. Ganondorf sweared under his breath and turned his attention back to the mutation behind him who had gotten into position and was now spinning at full speed towards him. Ganondorf ran towards the monstrosity and when he was just shy of it he threw the nut in front of the leever and dodged out of the way, covering his eyes. When he heard the loud snap, he opened his eyes again just in time to see the leever make a sharp turn and make another charge straight for him. Ganondorf, horrified that the flashbang had not even slowed the creature, jumped to the side a little too late and the leever collided with his foot sending pain through his leg.

When Ganondorf recovered he looked down at his foot and was angered to find three spines sticking out of his flesh just below the ankle. He viciously yanked them out, tossed them to the side, and began to devise a strategy for defeating this untouchable beast. As the leever pulled away to line itself for yet another attack, Ganondorf reviewed quickly the two weak areas of the typical leever, the top and the bottom. The heart of the beast was situated directly in the middle of the body and the top was the most easily accessible as it was the monsters leading straight down to the heart as the stomach was off to the side. One strike expertly placed in the middle of the mouth would sever the heart and kill the beast. The bottom was told to be nearly impossible to get at being that leevers are burrowers but because the arena had a stone floor as opposed to sand, this second option was feasible. The same principle applied to that method of attack but it included flipping the leever over to stab at its soft underside. When the monster came charging again, Ganondorf jumped high into the air, spinning upside down, and stabbed his sword down for the kill. Ganondorf's aim was impeccable, but as his sword tip approached its target the sword made an all too familiar clang and danced off the leever's side amid a shower of sparks. Ganondorf landed and was baffled at what he thought he just saw. To get a better look he set up the leever for the same maneuver but gave it half the space in order to more closely observe the leever's movements. The creature charged again and when Ganondorf jumped into the air he observed, as he thrust for the kill a second time, the leever shift unnaturally quickly to the side just in time for the tip of the blade to jump off the monster's seemingly impenetrable hide. Familiar embers exploded off the leever's side and Ganondorf landed with more questions than answers. The leever seemed to move in that brief moment with a completely unnatural speed, almost as if it was being moved by something else alltogether. In either case, Ganondorf needed to devise a plan of attack. In the meantime, he simply dodged the leever's onslaught of attacks.

….

"Raan, what is happening?" Rila seethed at her former chief instructor. Fighting a queen leever was commonplace for all trainees as their final test and their first kill, but something was seriously wrong with the one her son was facing right now. He sidestepped, a perfect flawless dodge, followed by a crippling parry that only emitted more sparks and did nothing but ebb Ganondorf's energy reserves further.

"Raan!"

"I don't know Rila!" Raan hissed from across the Allmother, "I've never seen anything like this before. I'm… I'm not sure what to do."

"End the fight dammit! Recapture the beast and rotate in a new one! It is obviously impossible to defeat this one."

"Rila, I may not understand what has happened to that leever but given what it can do now, I'm not so sure we _can_ recapture it."

"Then I'm going down there and stopping this myself!" Rila turned to leave but a cane swiftly came up to her knees and blocked her path mid-stride.

"No," the Allmother spoke, "You will do no such thing."

"Allmother please, you of all people must see that this leever is-"

"Taken by dark magic." she cut Rila off, "This is a test of his fate. He faces the darkness now."

Rila was taken by fear and pushed the old lady's cane out of the way, "All the more reason to stop this right now!"

"No Rila!" the Allmother's cane jabbed at the side of the boy's mother and, although it didn't hurt much, she spun around with fury in her eyes. "If you stop this fight, you will be aiding the very forces you wish to destroy. Intervene and Ganondorf will believe himself to be too weak to defeat even the most simplest of foes. He will seek out other forms of strength and I fear that the only route your son will take is towards the same dark magic that challenges him in that arena now. He has the power to defeat it; I can see it in him. But interrupting this match will do much more harm than good Rila!"

The child's mother huffed in frustration as the Allmother's true words sunk in. Rila returned to the old woman's side and waited increasingly impatiently for her son's victory.

….

The battle was now going on for five hours and most of the trainees were finished with their final test and now were on the walls cheering Ganondorf on. Nabooru stood like Rila, with her hands nervously fiddling in front of her and her foot tapping on the floorin uncertainty. The sun had sunken in the sky to be just above the western wall and the shadow of the stone boundary covered half the arenas floor. Although the respite from the sun's onslaught was very welcome, the leever Ganondorf continued to fight picked up that added strain by increasing the frequency and speed of its attacks. Ganondorf had little time to breathe and was quickly losing what little energy he had left in reserve. He dodged frantically from side to side but whenever he came out of his evasion the creature was already rushing toward him again at the same exact speed. His fleeting counterattacks and parries had the same effect each time, emitting glowing embers and draining the young prince's energy. Even hiding in the shadow of the wall did nothing to slow the leever as if it could see even in the dark. Ganondorf's movements became lethargic as his energy reserves ran low and the leever was able to make a few lucky passes at him, decorating his arms and legs with cut, bruises, and blood. The leever even waited from time to time for Ganondorf to stand and catch a little breather, openly mocking him, before attacking in a new volley of rushes and charges. However Ganondorf was gathering something. He was gathering frustration. Each pass, each failed parry, and each jolt of pain fueled a fire that began to build in Ganondorf's chst. Finally, the boy had had enough of the constant mockery the leever was making out of the fight and, when the onslaught was interrupted again, he stood and threw his sword onto the ground making sure the blade faced toward the leever in front of him. The monster, seemingly perplexed both by the sword's sound off the stone and the boys new strange behavior, simply rotated in place awaiting the boy to make a move. The arena grew deadly silent and Rila's muscles tensed as her child hung in the balance. Nabooru covered her mouth to stifle a gasp of disbelief.

"COME ON!" Ganondorf yelled as loud as he could and beat his chest with a fist. The leever, seeing and obvious display of challenge, backed up an inch and then surged forward at full speed toward the disarmed boy. Nabooru's breath got caught in her throat and Rila felt dread scratch at her spine. When the leever was close to the sword Ganondorf had thrown down, he ran up to it, grabbed it by the hilt, and thrust it under the leevers rippling underside. The monster screeched in response and the crowd cheered at the boy's cleverness. Nabooru squealed in excitement, though calmed down when seeing the others around her cheer, and Rila let loose a faintly audible "yes" under her breath. Ganondorf then began to lift the leever up on one side, using the sword as leverage and was halfway up when his progress was halted. The leever should've been easy to topple, especially for someone of Ganondorf's strength. But try as he might, with all the strength he possessed, Ganondorf just could not lift the animal over to its side. He could feel the monster's weight and he could feel that it was light enough to flip over with ease. But something was holding the leever down, pushing the animal down into the side of Ganondorf's sword making it scream out in agony and distress. The creature continued to spin in place, emitting sparks out of one side of the sword. The crowd became silent in anticipation again, sensing that the plan the boy had set in motion was not playing out like he had expected. Ganondorf poured all his energy into lifting the sword, his immense strength pulling against some immoveable force. Then he heard a loud snap. He unclenched his eyes and what he was looking at was the hilt of his sword with a glowing end where the rest of the blade should've been. The leever hit the floor and used the downward momentum to jump back up and slam into Ganondorf's right shoulder. The monster's spines ripped through his clothes and tore through the flesh on his entire right side. The impact sent Ganondorf backwards to the end of the arena, skidding to a halt just before the wall.

Nabooru and Rila both shouted in unison, "Ganondorf!"

Ganondorf no longer felt desperation, pain, exhaustion, or hopelessness. He felt only two things. Anger and hate. Anger at himself for being unable to defeat the grotesque monstrosity that now danced at the opposite end mocking him. How was he supposed to protect his family if he couldn't even defeat the most simplest of enemies? Anger at the adults and their inability to realize the absurd impossibility of the creature's abilities. Were they not looking? He felt hate for the creature that was denying him his right. Hate for the creature's kind and all it may have spawned. A hate that bred the desire to destroy every leever in existence. He felt a hate and anger that abounded even his most hated things in the world. He hated this particular leever more than he hated the desert sun. He hated this animal more than he hated the curse placed on him by things nobody could explain. He hated this wretched beast more than he hated the constant worry that plagued his mother every day of his life. He hated this disgusting abomination more than he hated having to constantly conceal his true love for Nabooru. Ganondorf looked up and his vision was clouded in blood red. All his frustration, all his anger, all his hate, all his rage fueled each of his movements with a limitless supply of energy. He balled his hands into fists and when the leever charged again, bored with watching the boy seethe with anger, he let loose a blood curdling scream, channeling all his rage into a forward charge of his own. The crowd watched in amazement as the boy seemed to draw an immeasurable amount of strength from nowhere. Nabooru almost couldn't watch and Rila's jaw locked in anticipation. Ganondorf was going to make this animal bleed. He was going to make this animal suffer. He didn't know how, he didn't know where, but he did know that this animal was going to pay for every single second that it stood between him and his prize. Nearing each other, Ganondorf pulled back his fist in preparation of a final desperate fury-filled punch. Suddenly his fist, held at the ready behind him, was enveloped in a dark flame that, instead of emitting light, engulfed it giving his fist the appearance of a shadow or a ball of complete darkness. Ganondorf was so fueled with fury and rage that he didn't even notice. When within arms distance, Ganondorf threw his fist around his body towards the leever, the flames arching back along his arm to lick the tattered remains of his black thief garb. His fist collided with the air first, shattering a paper thin layer of protection around the leever like glass and then rammed into the leever's hard bumpy body.

A tremendous explosion rocked the arena and Ganondorf was thrown headlong into the wall he had just run from. He hit the wall so hard that the wood splintered and the impact split the mortar holding the bricks behind it together. Once Ganondorf had landed on the floor he could see only dark smoke and hear a few screams before the world went silent and black.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's note: 1-spe** **cial thanks, 2-announcement**

 **1) Special thanks to follower Azubi for naming the fearsome and awesome General Naberna in this chapter. Dude was super chill and came up with an amazing name I completely gushed over. You can check out their cool Fire Emblem fics here: (fanfiction)** **/u/6637154/**

 **2) If any of you guys want in on this just follow the fic. From time to time, more often than I'll ever admit to, I either hit a roadblock or need a character named. When this happens I'll sometimes randomly pick (and it is random I don't play favorites) a follower of this fic to help me out. Azubi was more than happy and I'd like to get some more people in on this as well. I also update my profile with each chapter upload so... there's that. I don't like authors notes, as you can tell, so I'll shut up and just get back to the story.**

Part I – A King is Born

Chapter VII – Exile

Rila dove to the ground when the explosion shook the entire arena. She landed atop other Gerudo women who had done the same. Screams and shouts came from all directions as flaming pieces of flesh and scorched rock landed among and over the crowd. She was the first to her feet and as soon as she rose she searched the arena frantically for any trace of her son. A heavy smoke filled the arena with only a few tiny embers glowing through the haze. Rila had neither the patience nor the care to continue to search atop the wall so she vaulted over the side and rolled when she hit the floor ten feet below. The smoke was somehow not as bad but just as worse as it was on top. The smoke was rising out of the crater and the fires all around but there were more holes in the fog to see through. From the new vantage point, the massive crater that was deepest at the middle of the arena, receding almost two feet into the stone, stretched out to almost six feet from the walls in all directions. All the wood on the walls was scorched in most areas and in others it was still on fire, adding to the dark haze that hung over the area. Through the lighter smoke, Rila saw the outline of a body lying face down at the opposite end. She ran towards the outline and when she came to it she could only scream one thing in fear, " _Ganondorf!_ "

Her son lie face down in a crumpled heap where he had hit the wall. The wood covering the impact point had crumbled away and a large crack split the stone wall behind it. She slid to a halt next to him and cradled his head in her lap. He didn't look like he was breathing. Rila held her breath as she leaned in to hear. She had to block out the commotion on the walls, the crackling fires all around her, and listened as closely as she possibly could for any indication of her son's life. Her breath rushed out of her in a half-sob, half-laugh when she heard the feint wheezing of the boys lungs. But though she was relieved, he was very badly hurt. So she yelled into the smoke, "Medic!" and waited impatiently for help.

…

 _Ganondorf stood before a lake in his black thieves clothes. The lake looked to be almost 20 feet deep but he stood atop it as if it were solid ground. He walked towards the middle of the massive body of water but stopped a few yards from a child standing in the center. She looked to be about eight-years-old and had obvious feminine features but, to Ganondorf's surprise, she had no hair on her head. The girl also only wore a light blue tinged leotard that was fit tightly to her body like a second skin. Ganondorf simply extended a hand towards the girl who adopted a defiant look on her face._

" _Give me that which I have demanded." He commanded the girl who shook her head and took a step back._

" _Then I shall take your life along with it!"_

 _At Ganondorf's words a gigantic creature with webbed appendages around the size of his home surfaced through the water creating waves that seemed to break around Ganondorf's feet when he dropped his arm. He had heard of creatures who looked like this called fish yet he had never seen one before. They lived in water and there was no water in the desert. The huge monstrosity had large sideways facing eyes, a mouth enormous enough to eat an army, and strange designs and patterns all over its fat body that looked to be more ritual than natural. Ganondorf raised his hand in front of him again and pointed his fingers at the animal. At his command lightning arched from his fingertips, past the child who didn't react to the electricity at all, and into the creature behind her. The beast howled in pain, thrashing and convulsing all the while, and when the lightning finally ended it looked to have changed color from a bright blue to a sickening green. The great fish, when finished with its cries of terror and pain opened its giant mouth as wide as it could showing long rows of sharp looking teeth and a huge tongue. But instead of roaring the creature began to inhale as if it had lungs. Ganondorf was unaffected, simply narrowing his eyes at the strange display. The girl, however, sat on the water's surface, curling her knees into her chest, and carried backwards into the creature's mouth by the rushing wind. When the child landed into the monster's mouth it slammed its jaws shut with a loud echoing snap._

 _Ganondorf's own jaw locked in frustration, "I have no time for your primitive games. I will avenge my people. I will achieve my destiny."_

 _Ganondorf began to walk towards the fish and with each step the animal seemed to get more and more sick turning other shades of green. A putrid smell polluted the air that smelled of the rotting of a different kind of meat. Rotting fish. It was a rancid smell that turned stomachs three times over, but he continued forward as the fish decayed more and more. The animal's enormous eyes sunk in and different sores and boils began to populate its body. Soon its very flesh began to fall off its bones and the pieces that hit the water wriggled with maggots and other decomposing bugs. The organs, when exposed, slowly melted into a rotten soup that mixed with the lake's water turning it a sickening combination of greens, reds, and browns. Soon nothing remained of the large fish except for its huge skeletal structure that still floated on the water as if it were still alive. Ganondorf balled his hand into a fist and, using all his strength, thrust it forward into the skeletons jaw. The bones began to crack and split as if made of glass or ice as the shockwave of the impact made its way down the length of the now deceased creature. The cracks finally reached the tail of the skeleton and a blast exploded from his from his fist causing the entire carcass to be blown away into a million tiny fragments of bone and cartilage. When Ganondorf drew back his fist the sludge that polluted the top of the water started to dissolve away and soon the water and the air was clear of their impurities. Then something burst through the water making in a flash of light and a large wave that exploded towards Ganondorf. The boy merely stood still and the water parted around him as if he were encased within a bubble. Then Ganondorf beheld a pyramid of three golden triangles floating just above the water's surface. Mesmerized by the treasures brilliance, he reached out to claim his prize._

 _A breath away from his reward, Ganondorf was hit with an incredible force to his chest and was knocked back away from his reward. He landed on his feet and clenched at his chest in agony as a searing pain cut through it. When he withdrew his hand, instead of blood, a glowing white substance dripped from his fingers. But Ganondorf was more focused on the treasure and started to step, once again, towards the glistening triangles. His feet were getting heavier and his breath was getting more labored with each step he took. But he was so focused that these things were only slowing his gait a little. Soon he was again only an arm's length from the treasure. He trust his hand toward the golden prize only to have the sound of metal clanging against metal ring out from his wrist. His hand was thrown away from the treasure and an unfamiliar voice of what sounded like a boy his age yelled as if he was striking something with all his strength. Ganondorf curled his lips back in frustration and thrust his other hand forward just to have the same outcome deny him again. Ganondorf, now filled with rage and anger, thrust both his hands forward but was stopped by a pain so inexplicably intense it left him sputtering and coughing up real blood. He looked down and a blue hilt in the shape of outstretched wings was attached to a large steel blade that embedded itself within the glowing wound in his chest. When he looked up the treasure had completely vanished and two silhouettes stood at the edge of his clouded vision. The first looked to be wearing a shirt and pants held at the waist by a belt over them both and a long cap on his head that hung down over his shoulder at the end. The second wore a gown and had long, flowing hair. They both had the strangest pointed ears and the only thing that Ganondorf recognized was the Gerudo symbol reflecting off a shield the first silhouette carried. Then Ganondorf heard a second unfamiliar voice, the voice of a woman._

" _Ganondorf, pitiful man."_

 _The Gerudo boy tried to move his legs, wanted to move toward the shadows that inexplicably made him seethe with anger, but something kept his feet from moving. His ankles locked up and it wasn't long until the seized feeling attacked his knees and then his waist. All he could do was reach out his hand one last time before the paralysis froze him solid as if he were turned to stone. Then he began to sink into the water that had so easily supported his weight up until now. Ganondorf could only watch helplessly as the water soon engulfed his waist, his chest, up to his shoulders and then over-_

"His face! Splash it over his face!" Rila yelled at a nearby Gerudo girl. She was holding a large metal bucket meant for putting out one of the many fires littering the arena, but this one went straight to the boy and his mother. The girl tipped the warm water out of the bucket and it splashed all over the boy and drenched Rila's bottom half. Ganondorf gasped deeply and began to cough violently. After a long time coughing the boy collapsed again but this time from exhaustion. Then the medics finally came and they loaded him onto a stretcher to be transported back to the compound where he would be situated in one of the infirmaries.

…

"He must be dealt with!" General Naberna yelled from her end of the conference table, "He is a danger to us just as much as he is to himself!"

The oval shaped table was set up in a large room in the compound and the representatives of the discussion stood around it even though it had room for almost thirty more people. Furthest from the door at one end of the table stood General Naberna and a few of her lieutenant "yes women" behind her. She wore traditional orange and red Gerudo armor comprised of gauntlets, a chest piece, and full lower body armor. But the crystal ornament that accented many Gerudo ponytails was replaced by a long thin throwing knife that held a tight bun together. She also wore a scar that ran from the bottom right edge of her soul gem down to the top right portion of her lip running through her undamaged yet still scarred eye. Rumor was that a poor spell on her gem caused some of the metal to run as she was being bonded to it. On the opposite end sat the Allmother with her trusty cane laid across her lap. It was usual tradition for all parties involved with the discussion to stand in order to promote faster delegations and solutions, but the Allmother was old and could not stand for long without pain so they honored her rank by allowing her a seat at the table. To the Allmother's left stood Faya who, after receiving the vision of Ganondorf's future, was chosen by the Allmother to be the next high priestess and keeper of Gerudo traditions and practices. The high priestess was also next in line to become the grand high priestess otherwise known as the Allmother. Across from Faya was where the elective parties would stand. Anyone with another voice or opinion that requested an audience with the council would have their thoughts heard from there. Only Rila stood on that side. Even though the discussions would've commenced without her presence, Rila was not going to have a callus general, who had a notorious hatred for anything magical, an inexperienced priestess, and a foolish old lady make any decisions about her child's future. However, the flow of discussion gave Naberna the first words. So all Rila could do at the moment was stand on her side, tap her foot feverishly, and nervously bite the inside of her bottom lip while hundreds of voices echoing within her mind pleaded, bargained, and chastised the delegates at the table.

The livid general continued, "Just that display at the trials alone was enough to send over 20 Gerudo to the infirmaries, some with burns and others with broken bones. What if he had seriously hurt someone? What if someone was ki-"

"General, there'll be none of that." The Allmother said from her seat, hands folded over her cane, "only state your case and your position. There will be no scenarios nor supposition at this council, lest we allow assumption to poison our decisions."

"Of course, Allmother," Naberna respectfully bowed her head towards the old woman, "I was simply implying that allowing the child sanctuary within our walls could be the worst mistake of our lifetime."

Rila's eyebrows furrowed and she could no longer contain her explosive words, "What exactly are you proposing general?"

Naberna paused for a moment and then said after a deep inhale, "I propose… execution."

Faya gasped into her hands, the Allmother was completely taken aback, and Rila, unable to contain her anger, let loose a flurry of swears and personal attacks. The general tried to speak again but Rila's continued yelling repeatedly interrupted her, "If the general… if the general pop… if the general populace cannot… cannot vote on the execution then…" Naberna, annoyed with Rila's yelling, rose her voice to shake the room, "the only other option is banishment!"

Rila was even more flustered with this statement, "Banishment? Banishment!? Banishment to _where_!?"

"To the desert where he could gain control over his destructive powers with minimal risk to Gerudo life."

"He wouldn't last a week out there. No food, no water, and no weapons to defend himself…"

Naberna interjected, "He has passed the trials."

"You know damn well the trials aren't enough!"

"He's a Gerudo."

"Not in your eyes he's not. You're letting your past with magic get in the way of your rationale."

Naberna absentmindedly touched her scar briefly, "That… has nothing to do with it. You saw the destruction at the trials."

"That was an accident."

"And what if that 'accident' happens again?"

"It won't"

"It won't? Do you remember the twins?"

"Nobody remembers the twins!" Rila roared, "That happened over three hundred years ago and none alive can even attest to their existence! The only thing that remains of their so-called legacy is the stories we tell our children to discourage them from getting lost out in the dunes! But this isn't about them, it's about my son!"

Naberna seemed to calm down a bit, wanting to appeal to the raging mother "Rila I know that this is hard for you but you must face the facts that-"

"You know _nothing_! You don't know what it's like to defend against insane accusations about your child. What it's like to have to shield them from people who should be accepting him! How about we flip the tables, general? I hear Nabooru's been getting a little too close to Ganondorf."

Naberna's demeanor immediately switched from complacent to passionately angry, "Do not bring my daughter into this!"

"Why not? You seem to be completely fine with supposition and guesswork. I hear she's been practically throwing herself at my son. Maybe we should confine her to quarters. Or contemplate _her_ banishment!"

Naberna's eyes shot death and seething hatred at Rila, "You will stop these lies right now!"

Rila continued unabated, "Who's to say they haven't made a relationship already? Who's to say they haven't kissed already? Who's to say that, _right behind your back_ , they haven't already-"

" _ENOUGH!_ " The Allmother brought her cane down and when the walking tip made contact with the floor a gust of wind rushed from her making the bickering adults before her stagger from its force. When Rila, Faya, and Naberna with all of her lieutenants had all recovered they all looked up at the Allmother in surprise. The air still rung with argument but the shouting had ceased.

Naberna was the first to dare to speak, softly and almost fearful, "Allmother, you… you can…"

"Yes, Naberna," the Allmother looked ashamed with herself, "I have a natural affinity towards magic. I have been mostly been able to control it but as of late these arguments make such fools out of adults such as yourselves. Only when my patience is tested does it have a nasty habit of… showing itself."

The Allmother sighed heavily as if dropping a weight from her shoulders that she was trying with her last breath to keep held up, "I guess you all deserve an explanation. Most, if not all grand high priestesses, Allmothers as we say, have some affinity towards magic. It is how we communicate with the world on a new level as to understand its strange ways. Faya here, I believe, can also tap into this strange power making it possible to see things before they happen, however encrypted the visions might be. The Allmothers have kept this secret from the Gerudo for as long as there has been an Allmother; for almost three hundred years. Both because of the twins' incident and," she narrowed her eyes at the General, "because of people who would rather it be destroyed. But Rila is correct in saying that it has been too long and maybe, just maybe, it is well overdue for the truth to be revealed to the rest of the Gerudo."

The air was heavy with information, uncertainty, and an unhealthy amount of disbelief. But the Allmother then stirred in her seat, "But, that is a discussion for another time. Now back to the task at hand. Faya!"

The high priestess, who was still stupefied at the probability that she may be able to use magic, jumped at the sudden call of her name, "Huh? Oh, y-yes, yes Allmother."

The Allmother smiled at the young child's innocence, even though she was well into her twenties, "Recite the ancient laws concerning the king, dear."

"Oh… uh, ok… um," Faya had spent the last ten years since she was chosen to be high priestess memorizing each and every Gerudo code, requirement, and law, but all of that did little to prepare her for the discussions that were happening here. She began to recite the laws out loud, the Allmother mouthing the same words to herself from her own memory, "The king of the Gerudo is the only sovereign entity within any and all Gerudo discussions. He is the highest ranking officer within our army and no voice has precedence over his rule. He is to be respected with the highest of authority, even as a child. The king is responsible for the sole leadership of our race and with that position comes scrutiny. If charges should ever be made against the king, a grand hearing encompassing _all_ Gerudo must be held. If even one Gerudo, including the birth mother, the Allmother, or any sound-minded adult should find fault or mistrial with either the hearing, charges, or sentence, all those present must listen to each testimony."

The Allmother looked pleased, "Thank you Faya, now we-"

But Faya was so nervous she cut off the Allmother and continued to recite the neighboring laws, "All Gerudo are allowed one day of rest during the month for their-"

"Faya!" the Allmother half chuckled, "You did well. You can stop now." Faya sighed with relief and relaxed as the Allmother continued where she left off, "We cannot ostracize him from our community, from his family. The incident at the trials was an accident and nothing more. What we need to do for him is-"

Before the Allmother could elaborate the door behind her burst open and a Gerudo wearing the blue outfit of a medic stood breathless in the frame, "Allmother! Rila!"

Rila, annoyed at the constant interruptions, said in an exasperated tone, "By the goddess, what is it now?"

"It's Ganondorf. He's missing from the infirmary and I can't find him anywhere in the compound!"

Rila was the first into action, sprinting straight past the Allmother and disappearing through the doorway with a flash of her long red ponytail. The Allmother barely flinched and instantly began barking orders, "Naberna, rally the guards into two search parties; one inside, one outside. Faya, go with Rila, see if you can sense him with your gifts."

"Yes, Allmother." the two said in unison and they both flew past out the door just as frantic as Rila had.

…

Ganondorf exited the compound with only the bare essentials that he needed for his self-exile. He had stuffed a small pack with food, an extra change in clothes, and a small thin sleeping bag for when it got too cold at night. The pack was fitted with a sling that he wore across his chest putting the supplies securely on his back. He also had a leever skin canteen that he wore in the same fashion but with the bulbous container hanging off his right hip. He had also snuck into the armory and, dressed in his white training clothes, attached a few pieces of armor to his body. He only took two arm protectors, knuckle guards, and leg protectors without their knee parts and turned down the chest pieces and lower body armor as they were more situated for a woman's figure. He also wore special desert shoes that were specially made to be curved to a point at the end to reduce the digging that normal flat shoes did in the sands. He had also taken two fairly large daggers, one he wore at his side with his sandstorm veil tied to its hilt and one strapped to his right leg just in case. All Gerudo armor was specially made to be completely silent with any movement so Ganondorf was able to sneak past the night guards, both inside and outside. Once he was clear of being spotted he walked down the path that winded in the shadows around the compound towards a large gate that separated the Gerudo and their home from the desert's harmful sands. The gate was comprised of horizontal wooden pylons, too close together to allow a person to squeeze through, linked together with steel bars and a chain connecting it to a rectangular housing above it. A stone tower stood beside the gate supporting the chain's housing and containing the huge counterweight that helped a single guard at the top raise and lower it. That guard was also responsible for keeping an eye on the desert throughout the day waiting on an alarm for incoming sandstorms. The gate did little to deter the raging winds but with the natural mountains that encompassed the Gerudo's home the sands did little more than make the ground a little grittier to walk on. The only way through the gate without alerting the guard or opening it yourself was to squeeze through a tight yet useable gap between the gate and the tower right under the guiders that stopped about a person's height before the ground. It was a less than acceptable oversight that was however allowed because nobody lived in the desert and the stories about the twin sand witches that ate children kept the kids from going on adventures beyond the gate's bars. But Ganondorf needed to get away from the Gerudo. He needed to leave his family in order to protect them from himself. He had always been told that he was the heir to the throne, the protector of the Gerudo race, and he was determined to do exactly that.

Ganondorf started to encourage himself as he drew towards the gate. Before he could even make a break for the gap in the gate, as the shadows stopped shy of its face, a hand grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. Ganondorf expected an adult to be standing behind him, blaring a whistle and calling other guards to rally, but instead found Nabooru, her face stern and confused, still in her sleeping clothes. She looked like she hadn't gotten much sleep, as her hair was very frizzy from her pillow and she was still rubbing her eyes from time to time. Just the sight of her familiar face made Ganondorf sigh in relief as he guessed she had followed him from the compound, probably curious of his shadow that lurked out at night.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Nabooru whispered angrily, "You should be in the infirmary healing not snooping around the compound at night!"

Ganondorf didn't know how to explain to Nabooru how his broken bones had miraculously healed, he didn't understand it himself. So he meekly said, "I uh… There was nothing wrong."

"Nothing wrong? There was an explosion that created a crater almost as big as the arena. You hit the wall hard enough to crack the stone, you should be dead!"

"Well, I got lucky I guess." Ganondorf shrugged his shoulders.

"Wait," Nabooru's eyes had just started to take in the whole picture as the sleep left them, slowly realizing what her friend was doing this late at night, "Why are you wearing armor? What's in that bag? Why are you outside? What… what's going on Ganondorf!?"

Nabooru wasn't stupid, Ganondorf knew this much, she just wanted to hear it from his mouth. He sighed heavily and his shoulders dropped in defeat, "I'm leaving Nabooru. I can't be here anymore."

"You… You can't leave. It was just an accident, nobody's mad at you." Nabooru looked like Ganondorf had just stomped on her foot multiple times. It was a combination of confusion, sadness, and pain all wrapped into a face that Ganondorf found increasingly harder and harder to look at.

"I'm only a danger to everyone else. I hurt people at the trials and I'm afraid I'll do it again. I need to leave." He tried to reassure.

Nabooru's eyes grew misty and tears jerked at the corners of her eyes. She was visibly trying with all her strength to stop herself from crying. Despite her best efforts her voice still broke and her sorrow leaked through her speech as she repeated, "You can't leave."

"Nabooru, I don't want to hurt anyone."

She fought her emotions more and more clamping her eyes shut and clenching her teeth shut against the vulnerabilities that tried to claw their way to the surface while she repeated again, "You _can't_ leave."

"I'll be fine. Everybody will be fine without me."

"Well I won't!" Nabooru half-shouted at a surprised Ganondorf. Fresh tears streamed down her face and her hands were balled into fists. Her chest heaved in sobs that hit her harder than punches, "You can't just leave. I won't let you. What if something happens to you out there? What if… what if I never see you again? I can't… I… I-"

Ganondorf had heard enough and grabbed Nabooru, pulling her in for a tight embrace. Nabooru caved into her emotions, wrapped her arms around his neck, and buried her head in his chest, her sadness ripping its way through her body in the heaves of her chest.

"I know, Nabooru. Me… me too."

They stood alone wrapped in each other's arms for a long while, silently saying goodbye a million times over. He wanted to never let her go and he could feel that she felt the same way. He hated doing this, driving this wall between them, making her go through this. But he needed to run away because he would never be able to forgive himself if he were to really hurt someone. He was afraid that the people closest to him were just too close to the blast zone. A loud bell was rung in the compound's direction along with individual whistles that pierced through the night. Ganondorf tore Nabooru, a sniffling mess, off of him and looked her deep in the eyes. The pain was still there, the wounds as fresh as the wind, but they had already begun to stop their own bleeding.

"I have to go." His voice was unintentionally pained as he turned towards the gate to leave his friend, his family, behind.

"When will I see you again?"

Ganondorf froze on his first step and half-turned towards Nabooru, sighing. He reached into one of his pockets and produced a medallion made of copper and gold with two entities in the form of spheres circling each other. The piece of jewelry glinted in the light of the moon and reflected the morphing light that emanated from the compound. He grabbed Nabooru's wrist and gently placed the palm-sized pendant in the middle of her hand.

"This is a soul medallion. My mom gave it to me when I was little. She said that when someone gives this to someone else, their souls are destined to meet again. Keep it safe."

As Nabooru stared solemnly into the medallion in her hand, Ganondorf couldn't help but pull her in again and lightly kiss the topaz soul gem on her forehead. But when she looked up, ready and willing to return his small gesture of affection, he had vanished. His back was to her as he ran towards the gate. He didn't want her to see him cry. Out of anyone in the world, he could never bring himself to break her heart into that many pieces. So he left her, tearing a piece of his heart out of his chest and leaving it behind so that he couldn't hurt it. As he came up to the gate he flattened himself up against the stone bricks of the tower and, after a final fleeting look at the home, the life, he was leaving behind, he slipped past the gate into the unforgiving Desert.


	8. Chapter 8

Part I – A King is Born

Chapter VIII – The Desert

Ganondorf was always told the desert was an unforgiving place. That it was a blessing to live in the mountainous caldera that the Gerudo called home. He had trained in the desert, albeit for small segments at a time, but it was that training that made him a bit overconfident that he could best the sandy hellhole and return to his home as an older, more respectable, and much more capable man. But that was when he had decided to run away. Even while running through the night, he continued his optimistic outlook. Ganondorf now repeatedly called himself stupid a hundred different ways as he climbed up a sand dune. The sand he traversed was starting to get in his shoes and made its way into the crevices of his toes and fingers. He had long since turned back towards his home, at least he thought he had, after about 20 or so hours of running through the once cold desert. Now the sun was starting to poke its first light over the highest dunes and began to warm the air with the first of its rays. There was still no sign of the mountains that signaled his home, but he continued onward. He looked behind him every so often to assure himself that he was still going in a straight line, but the ever shifting sands continually painted over his footprints making only his most recent ones available for scrutiny. The desert also had no landmarks or orienting structures. Each dune was as indistinguishable from the next and they never stayed in the same place over the course of time due to the rushing wind. A dune in the east could become a dune in the west in the span of a single day causing a person's heading to change drastically, making it even harder to get anywhere in the desert. The sky was his only method of knowing roughly which direction he should be going. He was taught how to read the stars to find his way no matter where he was. . It was easy to see the stars as there were no clouds in the sky to block them. But they had been long since chased away by the rising sun. The sun could also be used for navigation and there was never anything to block it from view. It was the desert; clouds were as scarce as water.

Thinking of water made Ganondorf thirsty so he reached around his waist and grabbed his leever hide canteen which he proceeded to uncork and take a very small yet quenching sip of the icy water that still tasted as if it were straight from the barrel. Even though his training had strictly taught him to conserve every drop of water if he ever had to survive in the desert, he still had to resist the urge to chug the entire canteen as if it were a luxury rather than a privilege. He corked the canteen and let it swing back to his side on its strap. When he finally reached the summit of the dune he surveyed the desert again. It was all habit at this point, reach the top of a dune and search the surrounding sands for any trace of the home he had stupidly left behind. But each time he did, each time he cast his eyes out over the golden waves, he could only see one thing. Sand. Sand so vast that it seemed to never end. Dunes so many they look as if waves on a golden ocean. Dead, desolate, barren, and evil; all things Ganondorf described the desert as, and he hated it.

The dune he was on was steep on one side; they called it the slip side. Regardless, Ganondorf continued down the dune with slight difficulty. He didn't care if walking on top of the dunes was easier, the stars had pointed him in this direction toward home and he was not going to stray from it. But Ganondorf had taken the slope too fast and when he tried to catch his footing he instead stumbled and rolled painfully down the mountainous dune. He hit the bottom with a muffled yet still painful thud. Ganondorf grumbled in pain as he slowly picked himself up. He thanked the goddess that he hadn't landed on his rock hard canteen and dusted himself off before setting off for the next dune. He continued this pattern of climbing and descending, thankfully without falling, for a long while. He had no idea how much time had passed until the sun had reached a quarter ways off the ground. It had only been three hours and already the heat the sun produced was just almost unbearable. Heat waves began to distort his vision and sweat began to moisten the top of his shirt. His dark skin started to complain about the constant attack of the sun but he still continued onward. He knew that this was only the beginning of the torment the desert was infamous for. Another three hours with a few more dunes behind him and the heat became completely insufferable. The scenery danced in the heats distortion and the heat itself seemed to bear down on Ganondorf in all directions. He soon resorted to taking off his shirt, willfully exposing his skin to the abuse, in order to protect his head by wrapping his sweat soaked hair in the equally dampened cloth. The physical toll was unbelievable. Each step became an individual chore, the next just as exhausting as the last. The sands began to absorb and radiate the heat from the sun making the ground even hotter. It was much harder to conserve water during this time and, unfortunately, he found himself taking a drink for every dune he climbed; it was not good. But that one sip after each climb, that little piece of home he allowed himself to have as reward, was the only thing that spurred himself forward. It was the one thing that kept him from giving up.

Three hours passed as if three years. But when the sun started to dip towards the horizon, the shadows of the dunes began to give Ganondorf a small respite from the overbearing heat after every dune. The heat also began to ebb away as the rays glanced off the sands at its new angle. The sands, however, were reluctant to end their punishment and continued to emanate the heat from the sun even as it crept away. But soon the heat died away as the sun did the same. It was a small respite from the exhausting and life stealing rays but just a precursor to the new torture that Ganondorf knew was just about to come. He witnessed the last light from the sun dip behind the tallest dunes throwing the desert into darkness. Without warning, without the slightest hint, a frigid gale exploded from the west behind Ganondorf and the frozen air hit him harder than he had ever been hit in his life. The air was so cold that Ganondorf's eyes began to water and his round ears went numb in a matter of seconds. He put his shirt back on his sunburnt shoulders and the thin sleeping bag that was normally closed around with buttons that lined the outside of the cloth was wrapped around his neck covering his arms in an awkward shawl that only slightly dulled the nighttime air's bite. The cold even made climbing the dunes harder; making Ganondorf's legs overly rigid so that it took more to move them than it was to do the actual task. The night also gave birth to stronger winds that were usually calm or stagnant during the day. It only served to give the cold sharper teeth.

The cycle was brutal and never deviated. Ganondorf knew this because he continued to witness it six more times. For six days Ganondorf suffered and pushed through the unnatural torture the desert beat him with. But nothing compared to sandstorms. On the third and fifth days sandstorms halted all his progress. He had no choice but to sit in the shadow of a dune and wait for the storm to end. The wind howled and the sand rushed at speeds that ripped through clothes and caused rubbing burns on the skin. Ganondorf had to wrap himself in the sleeping bag during these storms that blotted out the sun to shield himself from the ripping sands. The desert seemed to reject Ganondorf's presence, throwing anything it could to try and force him to give up. Five days in and Ganondorf had only a quarter of his canteen left with water and his food had run out the night before. Food was no real concern, it was only for replenishing protein and starving was weeks away. The real problem, the true enemy right now, was dehydration. A person could go weeks without food depending on their resolve, but no creature, not even the native leever, could survive very long without water. Ganondorf had enough water for about three days, four if he rationed correctly, then two days before succumbing to thirst. However, Ganondorf was optimistic that he would be able to at least spot the iconic mountains of his home before then. At some point he would get to a familiar ruin or get to the top of a tall dune close enough to home to give him a heading. His mother was going to be absolutely livid. In fact everybody must've been going out of their minds with worry.

 _Why didn't I run the other way?_ Ganondorf reproached himself, _I mean we are never told what lays that way but it has to be better than this. I'd better find those mountains before-_

Ganondorf wasn't paying attention and he lost his footing for what seemed like the hundredth time since he started this impossible trek. Only this time, when he flopped to the bottom he got insanely frustrated. That frustration quickly turned to anger and he was soon yelling, cursing, and flailing around kicking up sand in the worst tantrum the desert has never seen.

"I _hate_ this damned desert!" he yelled as he kicked the sand off the nearest dune, "It's stupid, all of it, _stupid_!"

After a little more time of cursing and raging, Ganondorf calmed himself down and heavily berated himself for losing control. His outburst left him out of breath and a little thirstier than he should've been. Being thirsty at this point wasn't particularly advantageous. He uncorked his canteen and brought its open top to his lips. Ganondorf's head started to tilt further and further back, waiting for the water to give his tongue that familiar bite of moistness. He started to worry when his head was nearly straight up and he had still not tasted any water. Ganondorf then brought his head back down and shook the canteen near his ear. After some acute hearing in silence, Ganondorf slammed the canteen onto the ground in anger and it made a hollow thump as it bounced once and then settled on top of the sand. He was sure that he had at least a full quarter of water left which should've lasted one more week. Ganondorf sighed and started to walk towards his canteen.

But one step in the container's direction and Ganondorf froze in place. He stood perfectly still feeling as if he was being watched. He regulated his breathing, controlled his heartbeat, and closed his eyes to listen intensely to the space around him. So far the only thing making any sound was the wind that moved the sands all around him. He was certain that he had heard a footstep somewhere but for the moment he needed to hear it again.

Then a scuffling behind him forced his eyes wide open and he turned while jumping away from the source. His rapid movements carried him just out of the reach of a gleaming sword swinging across aimed for his midsection. When he landed, Ganondorf looked for the owner of the sword but was horrified at the inhuman monstrosity that stood before him. Gerudo stories told of creatures made of half lizard, half man, called lizalfos. But those stories didn't even come close to the sheer terror that their appearance enticed. The monster stood like a man with two strangely jointed legs ending in talons keeping its body in a crouched position. At full height it was nearly as tall as Ganondorf at almost 7 feet tall. Its skin was a scaly green except for its exposed chest and stomach, which was a lighter shade and looked more akin to leever leather. Its hands had only three fingers and its feet had four toes, three in front and one in back. It had no clothing other than a single rusty pauldron on its right shoulder with metal spikes jutting out of it and a codpiece that looked to be made up of rusty, discarded metal. But the most disturbing part of the creature was its serpent-like head complete with sideways looking eyes, a long snout with sharp looking teeth lining its jaws, and a forked tongue that flicked out and in while it tilted its head from side to side, keeping a vertical pupal within a turquoise eye trained on the perturbed Gerudo boy. As it cautiously stepped around Ganondorf a tail continuously whisked around keeping the monstrosity in balance. It was truly the most repulsive creature he had ever seen.

But Ganondorf had little time to marvel at its hideous features as it lunged toward the boy with its curved scimitar held high for another attack while emitting a high pitched yelp that confused Ganondorf even more. The boy rolled to the side, making the sword swing down into the sand where he once stood. When he came out of his roll his right hand darted to his left side and he drew his dagger. The lizalfos was unnaturally quick to recover and swiped a clawed hand towards the Gerudo boy. Ganondorf ducked out of the way and followed with a lunge of his own, aiming to injure the lizard's thigh. He came close but before his blade could make contact with the creature's flesh, the thigh and the lizalfos were gone. His arm cut through thin air and when he looked up he saw that the lizard had jumped backwards high into the air. It landed on the side of the dune behind it and wasted no time in pressing its attack again. Ganondorf dodged again, his counterattack failing to connect with the creatures arm, and he resorted to a tactic he was fond of. He stood right in the line of sight of the lizard, almost as if challenging it, and waited for an attack. The lizard took the bait and swung its sword in a low arc, trying to injure the boy's right side. This time he was ready. The lizard's sword made a clang on Ganondorf's right arm guard and, with the attack blocked, he ducked away from an incoming claw, spun into the lizalfos' momentum, drew the hidden dagger on his leg with his left hand, and drove the sharpened steel into the creature's side. He could feel the blade sink into flesh and grind against bone before the monster wailed in excruciating pain and jumped away from Ganondorf. Coming out of his successful attack he realized that his entire hand was covered in bright red blood. He tried to shake most of it off but only succeeded in marking up his pants.

Then he heard the lizard's voice, or the high pitched sound that it made, and spun around raising his daggers. The lizalfos had its back to him and had dropped to its right knee, or what he took for a knee, cradling the deep wound in its side with dark red pools of blood dripping from its hand and soaking into the sand under it. Ganondorf, out of half mercy half curiosity, cautiously walked toward the creature that continued to whine and wail in intense pain. He wanted to know if this creature could speak, where it came from, and if the other Gerudo knew that there was a whole clan of murderous lizard-men out in the desert waiting to invade. He was about two steps away from its hunched form when it sprung up and threw sand at his face. Ganondorf wasn't really phased by the sand, but the distraction gave the lizalfos enough time to send its claw in a backhanded arc that connected with Ganondorf's chest and sent him flying backwards into the sand. He recovered only to find the lizalfos upon him again bringing its sword down toward him. Ganondorf didn't have time to move out of the way so he brought his daggers up in an X above him to block the sword from cleaving him in two. The blades connected, sending sparks toward the boy's face and a power struggle began. Ganondorf was already exhausted way past his limits and this gave the lizalfos a slight advantage. Though Ganondorf tried with all his might to keep his daggers held above him, he slowly lost height to the strength of the creature. He willed his muscles to push harder but all he could do was watch helplessly as the sword lowered toward the soul gem perched atop his forehead. He tried to push up with the knee he was on from the ground and actually gained a bit of height back, but the lizard put both hands on its sword and the pressure doubled. He was brought down to both knees and the sword lowered further. Flashes of the people he had left behind went through his mind and he silently said sorry to each one of them. Nabooru, he apologized to last.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author's note: 1- Chapter irregularity 2-Happy Halloween**

 **1) For the upcoming characters in this chapter, and in any other chapter afterwards, the dialogue they have will be layered into paragraphs instead of being broken into separate lines. This is because of their cryptic back-and-forth way of speaking. This is simply to save space on the page. I will not have 20 pages of dialogue that is single sentences or even fragments being completed by each other. It may be confusing. I regret nothing.**

 **2) Happy belated Halloween.**

Part I – A King is Born

Chapter IX – Adoption

Ganondorf was pushing against the sword with every ounce of energy that remained in his body. Suddenly the Lizalfos' pressure on Ganondorf's daggers was instantly relieved and the boy sprung up in an explosion of the immense tension. The lizalfos' sword arm flew straight up and hung in the air as Ganondorf responded by plunging his twin daggers hilt deep into the creature's chest; piercing the heart and its lung from the lower ribs. Ganondorf stood breathless and heaving as he reveled in his victory. But the lizalfos didn't even move or react; it was even still staring maliciously at the sand where Ganondorf had been kneeling as if he hadn't even moved. The only thing that had changed was the creature's arm holding its sword that was now stuck up in the air where Ganondorf had pushed it. He tried to retrieve his daggers from where he had thrust them into the creature but they were inexplicably stuck in place along with the lizard. Ganondorf, confused, let go of the hilts and stepped back from the creature cautiously, waiting for this display to be some kind of new trick it was playing. "Did… did I do this? Is this a new power?" Ganondorf thought out loud, looking at his hands.

"I'm afraid not, sweety." An elderly woman's voice echoed from behind him. It sounded old and frail but sinister and mischievous. Ganondorf jumped from its sound and surveyed the area around him, but couldn't find anything nor anybody that could've made the voice.

"Ooh, I think we startled him." Another voice emanated from the air around him. It was a little more high pitched than the last voice but shared all the other qualities exactly. The voices seemed to be circling him yet their sources continued to be hidden.

The first voice spoke up again, "What do you think we have here, Koume?" "A little morsel that's run away from home, Kotake?" "Hm, looks like it Koume. What shall we do?" "Oh I don't know Kotake, he does look frightfully succulent does he not?"

"Enough games! Show yourselves cowards!" Ganondorf called into the air. The desert was quiet again. For a long time the boy stood alone waiting for something to happen. _Maybe I'm going crazy from dehydration._ But then two explosions of colored smoke burst out of thin air, startling him even more. The smoke was colored red and blue but didn't last too long with the wind carrying it behind the top of a dune. With the last of the smoke cleared, two silhouettes floated a few feet off the sand, sitting on what looked like brooms, right in front of the sun. The two shapes floated down away from their solar halo and their features became clear. They didn't look all that big, almost as big as an adult-sized leever, but it wasn't their size that gripped his heart with fear. They were the child-eating witches from the kid stories. Their appearance definitely matched their story descriptions. If the Allmother was old then these two were ancient. Wrinkles dominated most of their faces and warts seemed to take the rest. Their noses were the size and shape of beaks and their mouths smiled with whatever teeth that survived their long lives. They wore robes several sizes bigger than them and the two would've been completely identical if not for the red and blue color of each ones garments. On their foreheads, to Ganondorf's surprise, sat likewise colored red and blue soul gems that seemed out of place with their immaculate gleam being surrounded by their wrinkled flesh. Giant bulbs made entirely of white hair and twice the size of their heads were attached to the back of their skulls held together with bands that read in gerudian letters "Koume" and "Kotake" respectively. They had huge eyes that stared at the boy with a savage, primal hunger and their hands, long and boney, gripped their wooden broomsticks with anticipation. In fact, their broomsticks looked polished and lacquered as if they were brand new.

"Hmm, interesting this one is, say Koume?" the two floated further and then started to circle Ganondorf. "Intriguing indeed, Kotake." "A rare specimen of human." "Yes but more than a mere human." "A thief, and a Gerudo at that." "Ah, yes Kotake, the gem. Undeniably Gerudo." "And a skilled swordsman even with such petty… knives." "Yes but why have we saved him Kotake?" "My, my Koume, that is an interesting question, why have we?" "He is a Gerudo." "Yet he is a 'he'." "And Gerudo are not 'he's, they are 'she's." "So this one," "Must be," the two said in unison, "A King!"

The woman in blue, Kotake, and the one in red, Koume, stopped circling the boy and eyeballed him up and down. Ganondorf, feeling exposed and vulnerable, clenched a fist in preparation for whatever attack the two witches might throw at him.

"Oh he's scared Kotake." "It's alright Koume, there's no way he can defend against our attacks. At least not with fists alone." "Shall I test him, sister?"

Without warning or even an acknowledgement from her sister, Koume raised her palm towards Ganondorf and, in an instant, a huge inferno imbued with black smoke shot from the middle of her hand straight at the helpless boy. Terrified, Ganondorf could only brace himself for the flames by tucking his head behind his arm and clenching his eyes shut. Then nothing happened. After a while of intense uncertainty, the boy opened his eyes and the two witches were floating in front of him with stern yet slightly pleased looks on their faces. He looked around him and was awestruck at what he had managed to do. The sand all around him was scorched black with only the immediate area around him completely untouched by the soot and flames. Even the heat from the attack wasn't able to permeate through the protective barrier he had unknowingly raised.

"I think he passed, Koume." "With flying colors Kotake."

"What are you two talking about?" Ganondorf stood up straight again.

The two cackled feverishly. The sound was like baby guay being strangled in full view of their mother. When they had calmed down, Kotake spoke first, "Hmm… Koume, how shall we explain to him in terms he can understand?" "Best to lead by example I suppose." "Ah, yes of course. Boy, have you noticed strange things happen around you?"

"Strange? Like what strange? What do you mean?"

The two leaned in towards each other and whispered just above hearing volume, "I think this one's a bit dull Koume." "Filled with pebbles he is. Try a new tactic?" "Hmm… Ok." She raised her voice, "Boy, have you ever used magic?" "A little direct Kotake."

Ganondorf stopped and thought for a second, "N… y-yes. Yes I have, multiple times. I've… been known to… to blow up anything evil or… just evil. So you better let me go and show me the way back to my home or I'll… you'll be sorry."

The two cackled even louder than before and started to circle Ganondorf anew, "Ooh, tenacious, Kotake." "Threatening," "Forward," "Angry," "Driven," "Frustrated," "Direct," "Furious," "Conviction," "Strong." "Hmm… a bit too mild for my taste." "Yes, I agree Koume. Not enough _spice_ to it." "Where shall we start sister?" "First we shall learn his name. Boy, if you would please?"

Ganondorf had no intention of giving his real name to these twin hags, "My name… it's…it's Vaati."

Koume snickered a bit with Ganondorf's response but Kotake looked annoyed with a little bit of exasperation, "Oh, do not lie to us. Koume and I know what the truth is." "Your name is cursed." "It is boon." "It is taboo." "It is," in unison, "Ganondorf."

The boy was taken aback, "How… how do you know."

"How do we know, Koume?" "Oh, we know many things, right Kotake?" "Indeed, many things. Like your desire to be the best king the Gerudo have ever had." "Or your adorable little ambition to protect your family and people." "And let's not forget your inseparable connection to your mother… Rila."

At the mention of his mother, Ganondorf felt anger rise and his stomach turn, "Don't you dare say her name."

"Ooh," the red witch clapped with glee, "how delicious. I think you hit a nerve there Kotake. Do it again!" "I would Koume, but I need to dig deeper." "How much deeper?" "I need to peer into his soul."

The blue witch, with blinding speed, seemed to just appear a breath away from Ganondorf's face in the blink of an eye. Her movement was so quick that the wind it created blew past Ganondorf making his ragged and torn clothes flap behind him. The witch's giant eyes pierced his own rendering him paralyzed. It felt as if she had begun to peel back layer after layer of psychological defenses to tear her way to his heart and study his soul. It didn't hurt but is was increasingly invasive.

"Hmm…" the witch said, sounding bored, while she sifted through Ganondorf's most secret and personal place, "well, a mama's boy, that one we already hit. Living in a shadow, big shoes to fill, yadda, yadda, yadda… Ooh, top of your class, look at you. A hatred for the word cursed, vendetta against an old lady… no knowledge of your father, that's… disappointing, but understandable. Strange powers, an explosion…" then Kotake's eyes narrowed as if trying to see something distant and her voice became a little more frustrated, "But there's something deeper, something more powerful, something that drives it all. It's… a desire. A longing… a burning…" then her eyes slowly widened and her mouth opened into a toothy yet sincere grin, "Oh my…" "What is it Kotake?" her sister simply widened her grin into a sinister smile, "Oh, isn't that precious. This… this is worth something."

When Kotake broke eye contact, Ganondorf was given control of his body again. Unfortunately it had forgotten to breathe during Kotake's meddling and the boy immediately took a huge gasping breath, filling his lungs with warm air. The rush of oxygen to his body left him coughing and gasping on the ground. His head exploded into a numbing pain then it subsided before it could cripple him. Koume's giggles of amusement rang in the distance along with Ganondorf's own heartbeat. Once he controlled his panting and the feeling in his legs again, he stood to face the sisters again. Kotake was still whispering into Koume's ear but the blood rushing to his face prevented hearing what they were saying. When Kotake had finished her sister giggled even louder.

"And yet he is still a child?!" she said through fits of giggling, "It's much too cute. Can we keep him, Kotake?" "We must convince him first, Koume." "Oh that's right."

The two witches floated extremely close to Ganondorf, leaning on their broomsticks to bring their beak-like noses almost to touching the boy's cheeks, "Koume and I have a proposition for you, Ganondorf." "And it's not the dirty kind." "Yes we…" Kotake adopted a confused look that quickly turned frustrated, "Koume, he is just a boy. And _stick with the script!_ " Koume rolled her eyes as her sister began again, "We would like to train you." "Yes train you how to use your powers." "You will be able to destroy your enemies." "Twist people's minds to your will." "Make things happen instead of waiting for them." "Protect your people, your family." "So, what do you say?" in unison, "Join us?"

Ganondorf looked at the two witches in thought. They had a very strange combination of a grandmotherly guidance and wisdom but with a predator's cunning and desire. It didn't take Ganondorf long to make a decision.

"No," he succinctly said, "I don't care about my powers and I have no desire to ever use them again. Now, if you won't show me the way back I'll find the way myself." Ganondorf turned his back to the witches who sat agape at his sudden turn against them. He began to walk away as it was evident they had not planned on this. They began to argue behind him.

"What? _WHAT!?_ Koume, you came on too strong!" "Too strong? You're the one who brought up his mother!" "So? You strayed from the script! You never stray from the script!" "Eh script, schmift. It was damn funny and you know it!" "It wasn't funny, it was immature!" "What's immature is laughing at a person's secrets!" "You laughed too!"

The witches continued to bicker back and forth as Ganondorf went back to the lizalfos who was still frozen in a victorious sneer. The wind had continued to blow during his confrontation with the witches and the sand had covered the creature's feet almost to the knees. He tried again to pull the daggers from the old foe's torso but found them to be just as immoveable as they were before. He sighed in defeat and walked over to where he had thrown his canteen to pick it up. He wasn't surprised to find it light and devoid of even the tiniest drop of water but was disheartened at what the prospect to no water entailed. But, wanting to distance himself from the two ancient hags behind him, he started up the dune in front of him. Then, about three-quarters up the dune the ever growing shouts of the witches abruptly stopped. Ganondorf looked behind him to see if they were following him but only saw his own footprints tracking his movements. But when he turned back around the sisters were right in front of him with giant grins on their faces.

They said in unison, "We cannot allow you to go back."

Ganondorf was startled at first, yelping and dropping his canteen, but he quickly composed himself and groaned in frustration as he chased his rolling canteen back down the dune.

"I'm going back home no matter what you say." Ganondorf said sternly as he reached the bottom of the dune, "You can't stop me."

He bent down to pick up the round canteen and lightly dusted it off. When he straightened he fully expected the twins to be in front of him yet again, and they were. Expecting it didn't make it less jarring but definitely improved his reaction. He simply turned around and started walking again.

Kotake spoke up with a little panic in her voice, "Stop walking away!" "Kotake do not shout at the b-" "You insolent brat, _get back here_!"

"I'm going home and you can't sway my decision."

The twins began to show an increasing panic and a hint of dread in their voices as they tried to convince the boy with Kotake leading, "They'll never accept you back!"

"I'm their king, they have to."

"They will punish you if you return!"

"My mother is the most outspoken Gerudo in the tribe, they'll be lenient."

"What if your powers show again?"

"I'll keep them under control."

"What if you lose control?"

"I won't."

"It may happen again!"

"It _won't_."

"People will get hurt!"

" _They_ won't."

"What if someone _DIES?!_ "

This stopped Ganondorf and he felt his heart sink into the sand. He knew he had no control and it was only a matter of time before something went wrong all over again. In his moment of hesitation he caught Koume and Kotake creeping into his peripheral vision from each side. They slowly crept inward toward his front. Kotake started, speaking slowly with an evil grin that her sister shared, "Imagine it. That cute red-headed girl," "Topaz accenting her forehead," "Eyes wide in terror and shock," "Her uniform stained with her own blood," "Looking right at you," "Fires dancing all around," "And your hands," "The hands that wrought such incredible power," "The very same hands," in unison as they met directly in front of the boy, "That took her life."

Their words sunk deep into his chest but the truth seldom grazes the skin. He couldn't go back, not without gaining control of his powers first. As much as he hated to admit it, he needed the help of the witches. So Ganondorf sighed away his sobs and swallowed the lump in his throat that became a pit in his stomach as he re-made his decision.

"Fine then." He said in solemn defeat, "I'll train with you."

Kotake sighed with satisfaction and her smile of malicious insanity softened into compassion and relief. Koume, on the other hand, exploded into shouts of joy as she shot straight into the air and began to do some kind of aerial acrobatics, spinning and swirling in the sky in an improvised happy dance.

"Kotake, did you hear that? He'll train! He'll train! We'll finally pass on our knowledge! We'll finally have some compan-" Koume abruptly ended her own excitement and gasped loudly as if she had forgotten something immensely important. She shot down to her sister's side, eyes wide with panic, "Kotake, we have _company_!" her sister's smile faded and she rolled her eyes in annoyance, "Yes Koume, the boy is coming with us." "But… but… we are so… _unprepared_! We need the pots with some soup, the cauldrons filled with cucco slices, beef piled high on the table, bed, bath, oh get the pictobox we must capture this mome-" " _Koume_! Calm yourself. Everything will be set when we get back."

"Get back to where?" Ganondorf interjected.

"Why, my curious boy," they said in unison, stretching their arms out towards the west, "to the temple."

The dunes that the twins motioned to were savagely torn apart by heavy winds until the sand was cleared away into a neat path that lead to what looked like the upper half of a woman protruding out of the sand. They were too far away to make out any distinct details but Ganondorf did make out spots of green that looked like trees. Trees meant water. And water meant one thing.

"Oasis." Ganondorf whispered.

"Oh that reminds me. Koume, could you fill the boys canteen please?" "Of course!"

Koume snapped her fingers and Ganondorf could feel a sudden weight tugging on his side. He picked up his canteen and uncorked it to find it filled to the brim with water. Relieved, and astonished, Ganondorf wasted no time putting the canteen to his mouth and drinking his fill. He had reduced his canteen to half before he stopped and re-corked the container. He silently berated himself for his momentary lack of conservation before regaining his posture. He then walked back over to the still frozen lizalfos and gave the witches a glance. With a snap of Kotake's fingers the lizard came back to life bringing its sword down with a triumphant yelp. Then it staggered as the new wounds in his chest began to ooze copious amounts of blood onto the sand. It looked around and finally found Ganondorf and the witches off to its side. Its eyes were filled with misunderstanding as it uttered a small, pathetic, and very confused whimper before crashing into the sand in a dead heap. Ganondorf walked over to the creature's body and pushed it over with his foot. He retrieved his daggers, wiping them clean on the dead lizalfos' leathery stomach, and took his enemy's curved scimitar and scabbard. He wore the sword to he left and one dagger to his right with his backup back in its leg sheath. He returned to the witches and, after one last look behind him, he set off towards the temple with the witches close behind.

"Oh, Kotake, can we keep him? We can be like a little family! We're going to be mommies! Ooh, I'm going to call him Ganny!" 'Koume, do not start with me today, I do not need the migraine."


	10. Chapter 10

Part I – A King is Born

Chapter X – Potential

The spirit temple towered over Ganondorf as he and the twin witches drew near. It had taken all night to make it to the temple's oasis but Koume had a strange warm aura that radiated off of her just like Kotake who had a cooler, almost cold air surrounding her. The temple was constructed like the compound on the face of a mountain. But, unlike the Gerudo home, the entrance was carved right into the rock face. An archway stood a few feet away from the entrance steps that led up to a hole carved into the stone. Atop the door was a massive statue of the top half of a woman with her arm going straight down from the shoulders and bending at the elbows out in front of her. Her hands were turned up as if accepting some gift from the heavens. The stone was chiseled with such skill that the details of the armor on her chest, shoulders, and arms could be made out. Long hair draped behind and parted at her shoulders, circling her neck and disappearing within her chest piece. Atop the woman's forehead was a large intricately chiseled pendant with a stone carved to look like a gem in the middle. The armor covering her upper body was cut off at the ribcage showing off a thin stomach complete with a navel in the middle. Below her waist looked to be the beginnings of crossed legs but the sculptor didn't finish below the knees and rough rock still covered the place where her feet should've been. Her eyes watched the desert unblinkingly as if waiting for someone.

"Come, come," Kotake beckoned, snapping Ganondorf out of his trance, "we will show you your new home."

"This is the spirit temple." Ganondorf observed with confusion, "The priestesses come here to offer prayers to the sand goddess and create arts and goods we then sell to the outside tribes. Why are we here?"

"It's our home, silly Ganny." "We did not agree on that Koume." "Oh don't be such a stick in the mud, you can call him Ganny too." "Koume," Kotake said in a calm serene voice, "why don't you do the honors and open the door for us?" Koume gasped with excitement, "Yay, house party!" and dashed in front of the archway to start circling around a darker patch of sand, leaving the other two to stare on in silence.

"Um, so…" Ganondorf started to break the quiet, "Is your sister always… so…" Ganondorf didn't know the word to describe Koume but the look that Kotake gave him immediately ceased his train of thought. When Ganondorf looked at the ground in shame, Kotake snickered and adopted a much warmer smile.

"No, not all the time. I think she does that just to annoy me. Live with someone for 300 years and you know just what buttons to press, in what order, and for how long."

"300 years?!" Ganondorf looked at Kotake in confusion and astonishment.

"DONE!" Koume shouted from the archway. Ganondorf looked in her direction and saw that the sand where she was circling over had become a completely black vortex that somehow wasn't pulling in all the sand around it. Kotake rejoined her twin and they dismounted their brooms in unison. They snapped their fingers and the brooms vanished into clouds of white smoke. The witches looked small atop their wooden sticks but now they looked downright diminutive; only coming up to Ganondorf's hip. The two turned to walk towards the swirling hole in the sand. They walked to the center and turned around to face Ganondorf. They joined hands and dropped straight down into the void as if the floor was pulled out from under them. Although it wasn't the most surprising thing to happen to him, it was by far the strangest.

He walked toward the swirling maelstrom of darkness cautiously. He stopped just shy of it and kicked sand towards the its spout. The swirling winds it was kicking up made the granules fly all around the darkness without a single speck landing inside its opening.

"Well," Ganondorf sighed, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained."

Ganondorf placed his foot within the black darkness and found it to be surprisingly shallow, the darkness only coming up to his ankle. He fully stepped into the vortex and the cooling wind made his tattered clothes ripple around him. The boy breathed in and in the middle of his controlled exhale, the floor was pulled away from his feet. He closed his eyes as he was engulfed in darkness.

Ganondorf tumbled through a pitch black pit going head over heels as he fell. The boy then curled up into a ball in anticipation of the impact he would have with the floor. After a while falling in complete darkness, Ganondorf stopped. It felt as if a multitude of invisible hands grabbed him as he fell. He was slowly lowered and placed on a hard stone floor in his curled up position. The boy stood, regaining his orientation and bearings, and was disheartened by the darkness that still enveloped him. Then there was a sharp crash like pottery shattering and Ganondorf spun around to face the source of the sound while drawing his dagger from his waist. Even though he couldn't see, he still held the knife defensively in front of him. Then, when listening more closely, he heard two familiar voice bickering in hushed tones a ways in front of him.

"…more careful, Koume!" "But it's dark." "Well I told you we should've gotten into position before we shut the lights." "Well you should've had everything done by then." "Oh don't try to blame this on me." "I'm not blaming you, I'm blaming your raging stupidity!"

Ganondorf rolled his eyes with a smirk and sheathed his dagger. He coughed as convinsingly as he could and the witches hushed each other in preparation. Then Kotake spoke louidly.

"Welcome, Ganondorf" "to your new training area," "your new house," "your new home…" in unison "Casa Del Twinrova!"

A few dull pops around the room echoed out and the sound of flittering like falling feathers or paper littered the air around them. Ganondorf couldne help but snicker a bit from the anti-climactic moment.

"Koume," Kotake whispered urgently, "why didn't the lights come on?" "Umm… I may have left a few loopholes in the spells I used." "Great. Just great!" Kotake let the secrecy die in her voice, "Now the surprise is ruined!" "What do we do now?" "I'll fix it, just wait here." "No, no, no Kotake don't leave me here alone with the…" a poof cut Kotake off, "…Kid."

Koume sighed deeply and her footsteps came closer to Ganondorf. She lit a ball of fire in her hand and the glowing orb floated to the space between them. The light the fireball gave off was just enough for Ganondorf to make out Koume's face but kept the walls and floor as black as they had been. Koume shuffled next to Ganondorf and sat on the ground with a tired sigh. Ganondorf did the same.

"Well I was surprised." Ganondorf offered a pathetic grin.

"Flattery will get you nowhere, kid." Koume said in an uncharacteristically dismissive manner, "If anything, the surprise would've been if the spell had actually worked at all."

"So…" Ganondorf broke the unsettling silence that had fallen between them, "Your sister, Kotake, is she always so frantic?"

Koume snickered noisily, "Oh, you noticed that, hmm? Yes, Kotake is a bit of a… perfectionist. But that's just her nature." Then she added under her breath, "Especially after living with me for so long."

Before Ganondorf could inquire further a series of explosions rocked the area and pieces of the ceiling became were blown away letting the light of the desert sun chase away the overbearing darkness. The light revealed a large stone room encased by four stone walls but with no extra walls to separate individual habitats. In one corner there were two crudely made mattresses lain side-by-side with lumpy pillows neatly placed to one side. In the corner next to it was a bookcase with unlabeled books. The top half of the case looked charred but the books looked to be in pristine condition. Towards the middle of the room was a large cauldron big enough to hold ten people bubbling with what looked to be water but giving off an enchanting smell that made Ganondorf's mouth water and his stomach growl furiously. Behind Ganondorf was a newer yet still crudely made bed with an empty weapons rack at its foot. The room itself was about 100 feet wide and long with most of the space left completely empty. The ceiling was impossibly high and the holes in it that gave the room its light were perfectly round and placed in a staggered pattern. The floor was littered with small pieces of colored paper that must've made the flittering sound earlier. Koume stood and shuffled over to the center of the room where a large circular rug had been placed.

"Good talk, Ganny." She chuckled just as Kotake appeared next to her in a puff of white smoke. She sighed, "Well… Ta-da I guess." She snapped her fingers sadly and puffs of air around the room made some dull, sad pop sounds but did nothing else except disturb some of the confetti sprinkled around the floor.

"I'm sorry the spell didn't work Kotake." "Oh it's not your fault. I wouldn't have fared any better." "Thanks Kotake. That makes me feel better." "Should we give him the tour sister?" "Yes, that seems appropriate." "Will you do the honors?" "Oh I'd be delighted, my sister."

The twins turned toward the two mattresses and motioned for Ganondorf to join them. "This is where Kotake and I sleep. We've always found it easier to sleep when we are together." "Yes, as children we used to get such dreadful nightmares if we were apart." "Then they tried to separate us." "Oh, I didn't sleep for a month." "Me either sister."

"Who are…" Ganondorf tried to interject but the twins continued right over to the bookcase before Ganondorf could ask his question.

"But we digress, on with the tour!" they said in unison.

They turned toward the bookcase as Koume continued, "This is our diary collection." "We've catalogued every spell, potion, and enchantment we've mastered all the way to ones we have yet to understand." "The top row, in pristine condition, are my diaries. And the second row in… readable condition, are Kotake's."

"Readable?"

"What's next Koume?" the red witch excitedly shuffled over to the black cauldron and picked up a large wooden spoon that she smacked the side of the pot making a dull, muffled clang. "This is our cauldron." "We use it for all our potions and experiments. We also use it for food like stew or soup." Kotake leaned in close to Ganondorf but made no effort to render her whisper inaudible, "Be careful when Koume cooks, she doesn't always clean the pot right." "Come on Kotake, that's not funny." "Last time you cooked our tongues turned purple and our eyes glowed in the dark. Do you realize how hard it is to sleep with glow-in-the-dark eyes?" "Moving on!"

The twins shot past Ganondorf glaring nastily at each other before they reached the corner with the single bed. However, when the two looked at the bed and its amenities, the two seemed to take more compassionate stances and even stood closer together. They waited for Ganondorf to join them and Koume motioned for her sister to start.

"This, young Ganondorf, is where you will be sleeping." "We've given it everything a growing Gerudo warlock needs." "A weapon rack," "Bedside table," "A pillow to rest your-"

"What did you call me?" Ganondorf interrupted the twins this time.

"What?" they said in unison.

"What did you say before? 'A growing' what?"

Kotake instantly perked up, "Oh, a growing warlock."

Then her face was plastered with a sudden realization and she gasped loudly, "Oh, wait. Gerudo don't really have a term for that do they?" "Oh that's right Kotake. The closest they have is-" "Witch, yes… alright Ganondorf, first lesson. You know that women magic-wielders are called witches right?" Ganondorf nodded, "But you also know that there are men who can wield magic too, right?" again he nodded, "Well there is a term for a warrior who also wields magic." "They are called 'Warlocks' and they can be either man or woman." "And that is what we're training you to be." "But before we do that," "we must eat." "Come, come, we've made a delicious stew for you."

The twins led Ganondorf to the middle of the room where the large circular ring of golden patterns and symbols was partially covered with a square red rug in the middle. The rug had Gerudo symbols and letters emblazoned on the sides and corners, praising the sand goddess from what Ganondorf could make out. There were three pillows lain in a triangular fashion and Kotake sat at the farthest one. Ganondorf did the same, sitting at the one to her left. Koume went right past her pillow and made for the steaming cauldron. She raised her hand and whistled. Suddenly her broom flew overhead and stopped at her side. She got on and proceeded to grab the large wooden spoon and stir the stew. Then she scooped some up and seemed to pour it onto the floor behind the pot. Then Koume raised her hand and three steaming bowls made of, what looked like, brown stone rose and followed her in midair as she slowly floated back to the rug.

"No weapons at supper." Kotake abruptly said to Ganondorf.

"What?"

"Your weapons. Get rid of 'em." She pointed to the weapons rack at his bed, "Put them there, then you can eat."

Ganondorf eyed the twins suspiciously before turning to head back to the bed. He placed the dagger at his side on the rack and unbuckled the scimitar from his waist. He stood the sword in a perfectly sized opening and turned to walk back.

" _All_ your weapons!" Kotake spoke from the rug.

Ganondorf groaned as he turned back, removed the dagger from his hidden leg sheath, placed it on the rack, and traced his steps back to the rug where he sat at the available cushion. Koume, who was happily spinning the bowls in midair, set the soup down in front of each person using her magic. Ganondorf lifted the bowl and inhaled the delectable aroma emanating from it. The broth was a slight green and when he lifted the metal spoon he stirred the mixture finding familiar vegetables and chunks of meat that were undoubtedly leever. The taste was even better than the smell and Ganondorf voraciously gobbled the soups ingredients. In a matter of seconds the entire bowl was empty with Ganondorf siping the last of the broth with the bowl to his lips. The twins, on the other hand, were sampling the stew sip-by-sip as if it were a fine wine.

"Mmm, Koume you've outdone yourself again." "Oh I try dear sister. But it could use a little more… umm…" "Salt." "Yes, yes salt. And maybe some of that heartflower that's been growing in the oasis as of late." "Oh my, Koume this leever is to die for. What did you do to it?" "It was easy, really. All I had to do was skin, brazen, dry, then revive it in the soup." "You're kidding, that easy?" "A little something I learned in the marketplace."

Ganondorf then abruptly coughed, "Umm… excuse me."

Kotake looked his way, half in annoyance and half in curiosity, "What is it child?"

"Not to sound rude, the food is delicious, but when will this 'training' start?"

Koume and Kotake both looked at each other then, with identical movements, placed their bowls down and set their spoons right next to them.

"NOW!" the two yelled in unison. They both sprung up into the air as a white smoke exploded from their place settings. When the smoke dissipated, the once cozy space had become something akin to the arena back in the desert. Scorch marks and pillars of ice riddled the space where the furniture had once occupied. The first thing Ganondorf noticed was that the weapons rack with his daggers and sword was completely gone. But the boy didn't have time to think of a new weapon or even think at all as a sharp spear of ice came hurtling towards him. With seconds to react, the boy jumped to the side, making the ice spear miss him by a hair. The frozen weapon flew past and shattered on the wall behind. Then the twins came into view and as soon as Ganondorf saw them they began to fly in different directions and fire attacks from every which direction. Ganondorf had been in situations like this before, it was a classic double attack pattern hat set out to confuse and eliminate a target with as minimal attacks as possible. But Ganondorf had been trained by the best and knew exactly how to counteract the strategy. By keeping the two witches somewhere in his vision, he was able to see attacks as they were thrown and was able to nimbly dodge each one with slight difficulty. Then suddenly the action stopped.

"Hmm… he has good reflexes Koume" "Yes, but not good enough." "Just what I was thinking." "He needs to anticipate" "predict" "prepare" "And then execute" "before the first strike."

"How?" Ganondorf interrupted the circling witches. Koume, in the blink of an eye, appeared behind Ganondorf and put her bony, ice cold hands over his eyes. Ganondorf felt a tiny pinch in his eyes and grabbed at the witches hands. However, when she finally did remove them, the room remained black. No matter how many times Ganondorf rubbed his eyes or blinked, his eyes seemed to have shut off.

"What did you do? Why can't I see?!" Ganondorf asked frantically. Koume and Kotake cackled somewhere to his left and Ganondorf spun in the direction swinging his fists wildly. His heart began to race and he heard his breathing get louder as he quickly entered a panicked state.

"Your eyes will deceive you." Koume's voice pierced the darkness, "Your eyes will fail you." "Your eyes will betray you." "Your eyes are weak," "And weakness," in unison, "Has no place here!"

Ganondorf's training as a Gerudo had involved blindfolded combat but this felt wrong. Being blind was disorienting and Ganondorf had no clue as to how he should stand. This was speedily rectified by the sound of a magical spell manifesting in the hand of one of the twins. Ganondorf heard the sound of fire spontaneously coming alight and jumped back as it was thrown in his direction. A ball of insanely hot energy flew just inches from his waist and Ganondorf waited for another flurry of attacks. Thanks to his keen hearing and superb echolocation, the Gerudo boy was able to dodge most of the attacks that were thrown at him, only few making contact with his skin. Then the attacks abruptly stopped again and Ganondorf, bolstering a few new bruises, stood ready for the nest onslaught.

"Hmm… he's done well Kotake." "Yes, too well." "Much too well." "I can fix that sister."

Koume poofed from one end of the room to behind the boy again. But this time, upon hearing the witch appear behind him, he sprung forward and rolled out of the way. When he stood, familiar icy hands cupped his ears and blocked all sounds from being heard. As soon as the hands were removed Ganondorf swung wildly behind him and yelled Koume's name. But he couldn't hear himself. He mouthed a few other words and phrases, some with colorful language, but not a single one was heard. Ganondorf could feel his mouth shape the words and the vibrations from his voice box confirmed that he was indeed speaking. His ears, much like his eyes, had been turned off.

 _Damnit_ Ganondorf thought, _how am I going to dodge anything now?_

Then a familiar pair of shrill voices spoke from within his mind. _You are stronger than this Ganondorf._ Kotake started.

 _You are the descendant of kings._

 _You are the son of a great race._

 _The heir to a great throne._

 _All you need to do,_

 _Is feel the world around you._

 _That power you fear,_

 _You hate,_

 _You resent._

 _Use it as your ears._

 _Use it as your eyes._

 _Only then will you be strong enough._

 _Only then will you be able to protect_

 _Only then,_

In unison, _Will you be king!_

As the voices of the twins echoed out in his head, something hit square into Ganondorf's shoulder and he was thrown to the ground. The boy quickly got back up and tried to understand and use the information the twins had given him. He was able to dodge one more attack before a cold bar of ice shattered at his feet sending him crashing to the ground again. Staggering upright he was once more thrown to the ground by a blow to the spine.

That was when his rage began to build. It started in his chest and boiled up steadily just as it had done at the trials. It seemed so long since he had last felt anger begin to take over his body. Slowly, as each throw to the ground sent explosions of pain through his body, the anger in him used it as fuel for its flame. It crept from the deeper parts of his soul, feeding him evil thoughts and accusations.

 _You are no king. You are no warrior. You are no Gerudo. You left your family behind. You let them down and now, when you need to show strength, you instead cower in fear like a child._

Ganondorf seethed with anger both at himself and his attackers. He could feel the anger taking hold of him, twisting his thoughts and feelings until-

" _NO!_ " Ganondorf yelled both internally and externally and everything stopped. His anger slithered back into his heart, the attacks stopped, and Gnondorf felt all alone in his fetal position on the floor. He could feel fresh tears stain his cheeks and each bruise and burn fed their discontent into his pain. Warm hands, equally bony, caressed the boy's head and when he opened his bloodshot eyes, Ganondorf was met with the disapproving glares of the sisters who floated a ways in front of him. His hearing slowly came back in the middle of the twins' conversation.

"-ot ready, Koume." "Yes. It is disappointing, I agree, but at least we have a starting point." "We were too early. The master said not to-" "Shh, he's coming to."

Ganondorf groaned in pain shambled his way into a sitting position.

Kotake started, "That was… disappointing Ganondorf." "You said that you could take us on." "Yet our weakest spells nearly killed you." "You have great potential, but a long ways to go before you protect anyone." "Starting tomorrow, your training begins anew." "We will supply you with new clothes and begin as early as we can." "For now, rest up. Regain your strength." "You will need it for the training to come."

Ganondorf picked himself up off the floor and the twins watched him as he made his way to the waiting mattress in the corner. He didn't even acknowledge that the room had changed back. When he collapsed upon the bed a sudden wash of relief flowed over his body. His muscles ached less and his numerous injuries fed less pain to his nervous system. It was just enough comfort for Ganondorf to close his eyes and fall very slowly to sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

Part I – A King is Born

Chapter XI – Divine Inspiration

There were two things in this world that Ganondorf hated. First was darkness. Darkness was the premonition of evil, the promise of bad things to come. Darkness controlled emotions and warped thoughts. But the one thing that Ganondorf hated the most about the dark was that it could deceive. It had the power to hide things, cloak people, and it held no alliances. The most dedicated thief, an ally to the shadows, couldn't even trust it. The second was silence. Silence meant one of two things, death or surprise. Ambushes are set in silence, it is a false security. But Ganondorf had been trained to analyze situations and he knew that silence was not safe. It was uncertain. Anything can happen when commotion dies. It was a saying within the Gerudo ranks that "Nothing is more unsettling than a quiet battlefield" and deservedly so. To Ganondorf, dark and peaceful was the worst chaos he had ever known. This was his training. Every morning he would train deaf, every afternoon he would train blind, and every night was another brutal shove into the tranquil bedlam that was fighting blind and deaf. Sometimes he would detect and exploit a pattern in the witches' attacks and be able to dodge a few, but the sisters quickly and easily corrected their fighting style to an unfamiliar pattern and the child would be thrown to the ground again.

 _You're holding back_ they'd say to him within his mind, _you restrict yourself and that is what truly makes you weak. Use what you fear to release!_

Today's training was no different than the last two months had been. The three had already trained blind and deaf and were right in the middle of another full session. Ganondorf couldn't see any incoming attacks and he couldn't hear them before they did. All he could do was wait for the next blast of Kotake's ice or Koume's fire to wound him and bring him closer to whatever strength they believed he had. The attacks never did any real damage but bruises were a common sight on his dark skin. Yet they healed overnight as if his bed was imbued with healing magic. In any case, Ganondorf didn't feel strength as the training carried on, he only felt anger. It was the same anger and frustration with himself he had felt when he had destroyed the leever, the same anger that hurt his own people, the same anger he feared. Each training session he went through gave rise to this feeling and each time it arose, Ganondorf held it down. He continued the training for his family, he wasn't going to take steps backward by losing control again. He didn't want to hurt anybody again.

However, two months of this intense training had loosed his grip on his emotions and it was only a matter of time before he broke. It felt like the twins were being more aggressive than before but it was just Ganondorf's hold on his aggravation mounting. They attacked much like the leever did, waiting for him to get up then attacking before he could fully recover. It was painful. It was humiliating. It was aggravating. Each attack brought his anger closer and closer to the surface and he wasn't going to be able to keep it together for much longer.

Then something different happened. Instead of his anger flaring into a blaze of uncontrolled rage, the world seemed to stop for a second as if time had a slight hiccup. Within that second Ganondorf heard a feint voice resonate from deep within his mind, a voice that had been trying to contact him for a while. In the single moment of clarity he heard a deep dark voice erupt from some dark hidden place in his mind and it gave him a single short sentence.

 _Use it._

At first Ganondorf was confused, _use what?_ He didn't have any weapons or senses to defer to so he was genuinely puzzled. Then there was a single moment where Ganondorf considered something he hadn't before. _Use… use my anger? Is that it?_

All it took was the thought and Ganondorf felt a surge of power. It was unyielding, explosive, and extremely frightening. The sheer amount of power Ganondorf felt was incredible and exactly the kind of power he was looking for. The boy invited the feeling and embraced the power and when he opened his eyes he could see. But it was not the world as he knew it. Everything around him was illuminated with different colors that glowed from millions of particles that inhabited everything he looked at. The twins were silhouettes of blue and red among the greens and yellows illuminating the room. Then the twins attacked. Ganondorf felt the energy around him shift and change as spells were hurled through the air at him. Ganondorf made small and controlled movements that used the least amount of effort and made each attack miss by inches. The twin energies, connected by a thin white tether, gave off a positive feel as more attacks were thrown towards Ganondorf. He dodged each attack flawlessly as if he knew they were coming before they did. He moved with the fluidity of water and as the last spell sailed inches away from his arm, he couldn't help but smile from a sense of accomplishment. This was what the twins were training him for.

Koume floated over to him and removed the spells blinding and deafening him. When she removed her hands he was surprised to find that the energies that he saw were now overlapping his normal vision. He saw Koume and Kotake as he normally did but now the energies they exhumed coursed around them like a heavenly glow. When he looked at his hands they had a dark green glow around them.

"I think the boy has succeeded, huh Kotake?" "Yes he most certainly has. We must celebrate!"

The twins had the biggest grins he had ever seen on their faces and it was strangely comforting. They celebrated that night with sugary treats, baked bread, rice, and rich soup, all things that Ganondorf had only eaten on special occasions.

"Tomorrow your training changes." Koume said during the festivities, "No longer will there be such intense sparring." "Now we train your mind" "As well as your body."

Whether it was from the food or the strain that the training had put on him, Ganondorf nonetheless became tired early on in the celebration and retired to bed as the sun began to dip behind the final ceiling holes. As he lay falling asleep he couldn't help but feel a little hubris for the day's accomplishment.

….

 _Ganondorf stood before a being of tremendous size within a room of pure darkness. The giant being in front of him had long hair that seemed to be made out of fire. This fire illuminated the only circle of light within whatever dark realm that he found himself in and illuminated its back which looked to be made of rock. The rock was not solid as streams of molten magma flowed in between the cracks of the stone making defined lines in what looked to be the being's muscles. The giant man also had huge arms that were covered in black gleaming scales. His lower half was blocked from view by a sarong tied around His waist by a belt made of steel. It turned its head around and peered at Ganondorf with a single blood red eye over its shoulder._

 _At first, Ganondorf was afraid. The being gave off a tremendous amount of heat and the boy could feel his body complain about it. Then the heat died down a bit and his fear subsided. He then felt curious and ventured forward to the beings side. It smiled, the teeth in its mouth pointed as if filed, and seemed to like Ganondorf's show of trust. Then the being knelt down to Ganondorf and lay a giant hand on his shoulder. The boy was overtaken with a joyous feeling that took over his entire body. He felt as if he could do anything and that there wasn't anything that could stop him. Then the being reached towards its chest where a black vortex was bleeding darkness and pulled from him a single gold triangle. Taking his hand off Ganondorf, it offered the treasure to the boy._

 _But the boy didn't dare touch the gold. For some reason he had a complete revulsion to the gift and when he looked upon the being he felt anger and hatred so enormous he yelled at the figure. It drew a giant sword from the darkness around it and began to swing at Ganondorf. But whatever power it had transferred to the Gerudo was already at work against it as blow after blow bounced off of a transparent barrier around the boy. Ganondorf's incredible disgust for the wavering being was incredible and when he had had enough of the monster's attacks he quickly brought a hand up to face his palm at it._

 _In an instant the being went stiff, standing upright with its hands to its sides and chest puffed out. There was a mixture of fear and anger in its face but Ganondorf no longer cared about it. With a simple flick of his wrist the dark void in the demons chest exploded out and tendrils of its darkness arched around Ganonndorf. Then the being spoke in the strained voice of a dying man, "You may have made your choice,_ _ **boy**_ _. But in the end we are the same. The spitting image. You may not accept it, but we really are… kindred spirits…" the being began to disappear into thin air, "you…" the image of the demon faded, "and I."_

 _The being may have been gone but the light its hair produced was now centered on Ganondorf and he could now see the tendrils of darkness circling him slowly like hunters that had surrounded their prey. Then, without warning they attacked. The tendrils of darkness burrowed into his flesh and began to change him. His legs grew long and had extra joints, his arms and hands cracked and rearranged to form claws, and his nose turned into a large snout with giant tusks protruding from his mouth._

 _Then he was in front of the monster that he had become. A demon born of darkness and fostered on anger and hatred stood before him with the same red eyes as the demon before it. It had two giant swords in its massive claws that glowed an unnatural yellow. One of them was raised high above its head. Ganondorf couldn't move as the blade was brought down on-_

Ganondorf awoke from his sleep with a jolt and he bolted upright in his bed. He was breathing very heavily and sweat had begun to soak through his night clothes. Then he heard a sound from the middle of the room that made him jump slightly. He took some deep breaths and when he got his heart rate under control he was able to listen more closely to the sounds. He turned to the middle of the room where the two witches were standing side by side with their backs to him. They had their hands linked and were muttering something loud enough for Ganondorf to make out some of the words. The two were talking in unison the entire time.

"Yes master. He has passed. He now sees the magic of the world."

The twins paused and Ganondorf, intreagued, stood from his bed and started to make his way to where they stood.

"He does not know yet, my lord." The two spoke in tandem with each other, "I will reveal his divine purpose when he has mastered enough techniques."

Now the twins were referring to themselves in the singular "I" instead of "we". This was even more concerning as he approached the entranced twins. A deep purple aura enveloped the two.

"I will see to this part of the training myself."

Ganondorf reached the twins and, in an effort to snap them out of their trance, he placed a hand on Koume's shoulder. The purple aura jumped from the twins and enveloped Ganondorf as shocks of pain arched up his arm. He shut his eyes, then the pain stopped. When he opened his eyes he was greeted by a large grassy area that was receded into the ground and had only one access rout via a natural spiral ramp that ran around the deep crater in the center was a circular pattern with the twins standing in its center with their backs to him like in the temple.

"So this is the trainee?" an unfamiliar voice echoed through the air. It was a voice of false kindness with a high note at the end of each syllable but coming to an evil hiss towards the end. Ganondorf looked around yet the only entities that remained in the area were the twins and himself. Then black and silver diamonds as thin as paper materialized in the air around him and slowly drifted over to a central point. A silhouette began to form from the many two dimensional pieces but some seemed to get confused and floated uncertainly around the figure while the other formed together. When the diamonds stopped materializing, what had been silhouetted was the form of a man, tall and thin, but with random pieces missing from random parts of his form. The most noticeable of which was the large hole in the middle of his chest. Then the shadow gained color and definition. But the figure beneath the shadow was no less unsettling.

The man taking form had a very slim figure but with defined muscles where they showed. The man had a bright red cloak draped over their shoulders but it too had a hole through its chest piece, showcasing the hole in his chest. One of the most strikingly bizarre features of the man was how white he was. His hair was bleached, the gloves and skin tight under clothes were completely white, and his skin was a slightly darker grey that did little to completely distinguish it from his clothes. The being completely removed himself from the shadow and uneasily stepped forward onto the floor. But the man's figure was just as incomplete as his silhouette was. His left leg was missing its lower calf portion and chunks of his arms, abdomen, and head were completely gone leaving angular holes that revealed darkness inside them. His hair covered half of his face shielding what looked to be further disfigurements to his visage. But the eye that did show had strange black cracks that radiated off of it like broken pottery. Finally, and the most unorthodox thing to Ganondorf, were the pointed ears that he had on each side of his head. They were so strangely long and, to make them even more repulsive, they had no lobes. Their shape reminded Ganondorf of spears and made him absentmindedly touch his own ears.

"Please excuse my… less than graceful appearance. A few millennia will definitely do a number on one's figure." The man paced around Ganondorf seemingly trying to get used to his new form, "But I think I pull it off spectacularly, especially given my age."

"Who… who are you? What have you done to the twins?"

"I am fine young prince." The twins said in unison.

"Don't worry about them, boy. They aren't the focal point of the gods anymore. Right now," the man teleported behind Ganondorf, "you are."

"What? How…" Ganondorf sputtered but before he could turn around the man grabbed his shoulders and brought his mouth uncomfortably close to the boys ear.

"Listen worm and listen well, there'll be a test at the end of the lecture." The man's voice was like a hissing snake, sending chilling spikes up Ganondorf's spine, "My name is Girahim and I don't take kindly to orders from lesser creatures. There are far more valuable pieces in this game, stronger forces at work, and beings that would topple your highest notion of power manipulating this world. There will come a time in your training where you will be taught this. But for now you are…" Girahim appeared in front of Ganondorf, " _Insignificant!_ "

Girahim thrust his hand out towards Ganondorf and he was hurled backwards. His eyes instinctually shut from the sheer force and when he hit the hard floor he opened them again. The space changed back into the twin's room with everything as he had left it. The twins seemed to be knocked from their trance as well but much less violently. They turned to Ganondorf with annoyance plastered on their faces.

Kotake sighed, "You know, we weren't ready for you to meet Girahim," "but we guess it isn't too bad you met him on your own terms." "I suppose an explanation is in order." "Come, sit, we will explain."

Ganondorf made his way over to the rug and sat on the pre-placed pillow. Even though it had only been three months it felt like an eternity since they had just sat down and talked.

Kotake began as soon as Ganondorf got settled, "Lord Girahim is his full title" "And as you could tell he is a bit… umm," "Eccentric" "Yes, that's the word. Girahim has taught us everything we know." "Spells," "Potions," "Incantations," "Summonings," "Every magical thing we can do is all thanks to Lord Girahim." "He's our ancestor."

"Ancestor? He said he was millennia old!"

"Well, divine inspiration I guess." "Though there is a part of us that is part of his line." "However down that line it is."

"Alright, but who was he talking to?"

Kotake was the first to be confused by the question, "What do you… he was talking to us, of course." "What kind of question is that?"

"Then why did you refer to yourselves as 'I' instead of 'we'? He was talking to both of you and yet you responded as one person."

The twins looked in towards each other and gasped in unison, "Oh… Twinrova."

"What?"

"You see," the twins turned back towards the boy, "Girahim was talking to us but… not us? Kotake, is this the correct way to explain this?" "Mmm… yes. Correct, yes. Most coherent? Not at all. But definitely correct." "Then what's a better way to explain this?" "I, uh… only see demonstration as a fitting method." "Oh is that really necessary, Kotake?" "I believe it is the only way he'll truly understand." "But Twinrova, she's just so… annoying." "I know sister and frankly, I'd rather not deal with her right now either. Ganondorf this will wait 'till tomorrow." "Oh, thank the goddess." Koume sighed in relief.

Although Ganondorf didn't really understand what was really happening anymore, his brain tiring from being woken from sleep, he retired to bed at least half content that answers would be provided when the morning came.


	12. Chapter 12

Part I – A King is Born

Chapter XII – Twinrova

The Gerudo boy woke up at first sunlight and excitedly ran to wake the witches from their deep slumber. Ganondorf didn't know what the twins meant last night about this "Twinrova", but the boy was excited as ever to find out. He loved finding things out especially if it was a secret someone was keeping from him. Whoever this Twinrova was, he wanted to know everything about her. Not because he liked her name or who he was told she was, but because the twins had decided to keep her away from him. He liked forbidden things.

"Come on! Wake up!" he nudged the witches shoulders as they slept, "It's time to show me Twinrova!"

At the mention of her name the witches groaned in unison very loudly.

Kotake was the first to open her eyes, "Oh please Ganondorf, can't it wait another day?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No!"

"Koume, convince him." "Ugh, why in the world would you even want to see her?"

"Because you don't want me to." Ganondorf replied with a matter-of-fact tone.

Koume sighed in defeat, "Fine. You win. Kotake, wake up." "By the leevers den I hope you regret this."

The witches stood from their bed and called their brooms, which flew from the bookshelf to their outstretched hands. They begrudgingly hopped on them and were about to take off into the air.

"Wait," Ganondorf stopped them, "how is she annoying?"

"Koume and I hold a special disdain for our other form." "Oh, don't worry. You will soon see."

The twins floated well above Ganondorf's head and went to opposite sides of the room.

"Kotake and I are twins and share magic that more similar than it is different." "Everything has a connection with the magical world and to each other," "But nothing has as strong a connection as we twins." "That is why the fusion of our beings is even possible."

Ganondorf nodded in some half-understanding. As he looked at the twins they seemed to be gathering energy from the area around them.

"But this fusion Koume and I perform takes much more energy than any you've seen thus far." "Our very essences must combine and the amount of magic that it requires would tear our bodies apart." "So first we must alter our bodies to better handle the immense power."

Ganondorf could see surges of magic from all over rush to combine with theirs. Koume was drawing energy from the air and the sun's rays that heated the desert while Kotake was taking the energy from the cold stone surrounding the room. The two continued to build up magic until finally the witches released a surge of power. Kotake exploded into a burst of super cold air and shards of ice that circled her like a swirling storm. Koume was engulfed in a plume of glowing flames that that encased her as well. When the twins were released from their elemental cocoons only one thing has changed from their normal appearance. Kotake's large bulb of hair had been replaced by an equally large ice crystal that was so cold that what little water vapor that was in the desert air was instantly cooled to crystalizing in midair and vaporizing when it slowly floated too far from its source. Koume, on the other hand, had her bulb replaced by a blazing typhoon of fire spreading waves through the already hot air that distorted the objects behind her.

Then the twins came in towards each other and hooked their arms when they reached the middle of the room. When they did this Ganondorf saw their energies brighten and then start to flow from one sister to the other as if they were sharing the power they now held.

"Ready Koume?" "Always with you, sister." The two smiled and nodded at each other before circling around the central point that was their attached arms.

"Ganondorf, remember, Twinrova is nothing like Kotake or me." "There is no Koume or Kotake when speaking to her." "She will have all our memories but none of our personality." Then Koume gasped as if she forgot something, "Oh, and for goddesses sake keep her away from the cauldron!"

The twins started to spin faster and faster until their image and their energies were blurring together. Then a light emerged from where their arms were linked and it quickly grew to a blinding degree. It was so sudden that Ganondorf had to turn his face away. Waves of extremely hot and cold air started to assult his body until it ended just as sudden as it has begun. The light was quickly put out and the waves of extreme temperatures subsided. Ganondorf uncovered his head and what he saw was nothing short of miraculous.

Koume and Kotake had vanished and an impossibly large woman curled up in the air had taken their place. The elemental head pieces of the witches had changed into two huge hair ties that brandished Kotake's ice on the left side of her head and Koume's fire on her right. The ice had grown to resemble tied up hair and the fire was funneled into the same shape by some personal windy vortex. Her pants were of Gerudo design, loose fitting with stoppers that fit to the calves and a top that was almost lewd with how low it came on her waist. Her arms were covered with black sleeves that had triangle flags stitched in and boasting Gerudo designs.

The lady unfurled from her curled up position, revealing a black armored corset that covered what the pants did not with golden designs on top and bottom. Twinrova's face was fairly young and exquisitely feminine. The twins were both over 300 years old but the woman before him looked no older than twenty-five, maybe thirty. On Twinrova's forehead sat a gem that was split in the middle into two colors; red on her right and blue on her left. It was bisected right down the middle and, though the gem was unmistakably a complete piece, the colors didn't mix in the middle. The most striking feature was her skin which was a dark green color. She wore a sash around her waist colored green and red that reflected her mismatched shoes. Her eyes were a piercingly bright orange and they dipped periodically behind eye lids colored a sparkling green. Her hands, nails painted black, each held one of the witches' broomsticks with the straw end replaced by the element of that side. When she had fully unfurled she went into an exaggerated stretch and a large unhindered yawn escaped her red stained lips.

"My word it's been a while since the girls have let me loose. What's the occasion?"

Ganondorf was completely awestruck and incapable of answering. Twinrova's voice was smooth and caressing to the ear. A direct contrast to the piercing and elderly rasp of the twins.

"Well?" Twinrova goaded as she lowered her feet to the floor, "Out with it. I know why I'm here, but I want to make sure you do."

"Oh, uh… yeah, there was, um, a-a guy, uh… named Girahim and, um… he, he said something about, uh… about training me?"

"Memorization is the first step and the key to everything I will teach you. And you've passed splendidly."

Ganondorf's eyebrow rose in question and Twinrova sighed, "Well at least you got the name right. In any case I am Twinrova and I will be teaching you distinctive spells and how to cast them. Understood?"

Ganondorf finally shook the last of his awestruck immobilization from his head and nodded in affirmation, "Yes ma'am!"

"Secondly, you are to refer to me as Twinrova. Not ma'am, not miss, not teacher, and certainly not Kotakoume. Understood?"

"Yes ma- uh… Twinrova!"

"Good. Good! Now that introductions are finished we can begin your-"

"Wait," Ganondorf interrupted, "I know all about you but how do you know about me?"

"Didn't the twins go over that with you?"

"Just briefly and not very clearly."

"That definitely is the way they work." Twinrova said under her breath, "Alright, well… that's not really that easy to explain even for me. How about we sit and learn this before our first lesson?"

Ganondorf nodded and Twinrova sat down on the rug she stood on. She released the brooms from her hands and they flew away with their elemental ends disappearing. The boy walked over to her side and was awed by her sheer size. Despite being the tallest Gerudo initiate in his class, around 5 ½ feet tall, he paled in comparison to Twinrova. He was just tall enough to make her kneecap and only reached her chest when she sat down. It made him feel small and insignificant. He tried his best not to be immobilized by fear or fascination as he sat across from her in a likewise cross-legged fashion. When he sat the woman cleared her throat.

"Alright, how do I put this? Koume, Kotake, and I are all different people who share the same memories. We all act differently in accordance with our differing thoughts, values, and morals. But we also 'know' what each other does and often, or just out rightly, criticize each other for those actions. Understand now?"

"I… can make a sense of it but-"

"Here, I'll give you an example. The twins believed that a 'tough love' method of training would be better on you and executed it through an unfair and unrelenting training schedule. They believed that, due to your Gerudo training, you would take to this method easier and faster, I, however, think this is a brutish and despicable way to teach someone."

"So then why didn't you stop them?"

"Because I have no say in what they do much like they have no control over me. It's a part of the reason why we hold such animosity towards each other. Neither can know what the other will do until they are whole. Though I'd rather be apart than whole. It's… less quiet."

Ganondorf saw a bit of sadness and sweep across Twinrova's face and a look of somber recollection. Then she saw Ganondorf's look of concern and immediately shook herself from her trance.

"Anyway, back to the point, I would've been more patient and nurturing towards you. Those idiots were so eager to please their master they didn't see the care and finesse that the assignment called for. They want results, I want quality. Same goals, different methods. Same body, different minds. Does that explain it better, child?"

"Yeah, I think so. Koume and Kotake aren't you and you aren't Koume and Kotake, right?"

Twinrova inhaled as if to correct the point but caught her breath as she thought better of it, choosing to instead say with a sigh, "Yeah that's… that's close enough. Are you ready to start training?"

"Yes." Ganondorf said assertively and stood to take a defensive position in front of Twinrova.

"Uh… what are you doing?" she sounded genuinely confused.

"I'm ready for training."

"But you…" Twinrova gasped in understanding, pinching the bridge of her nose, "Oh! The twins of ineptitude taught you that training means combat. Ok, Alright. Just… just sit down, let me explain something to you."

Ganondorf unsteadily sat down again.

"Listen, when you train with me, just remember that you will never be in combat. There may be some inanimate objects involved but you will never be in combat with any sentient or otherwise animate thing. You have my word."

"Then how will you train me?"

"With words of encouragement. Let's begin!"

The witch took a quick breath, finalizing the statement, and extended her hand so that it hung just above the ground in front of Ganondorf.

"Our first lesson is on the 'focused state'. When you are further into your training achieving it will get easier and easier until it becomes as easy as breathing. All magic users, no matter their skill or experience, must be in the focused state to perform the techniques we will be learning. You must feel magic before you use it. You must understand magic before you can move it."

Twinrova took a deep breath in and as she slowly exhaled she closed her eyes. In an instant Ganondorf saw all of her energy change. Instead of random fluctuations of deep beautiful purple, the color flowed around and through her in flowing patterns as if she was conducting the particles with her mind. Then the energy started to flow specifically to her hand in front of Ganondorf, centralizing in her palm before flowing back out into her body. There was a steady flow coming from her core to her hand that created a bright fountain of magic in its palm. Seconds later a spark from two randomly rubbed particles gave life to a ball of flickering flames about the size of Ganondorf's hand. Twinrova opened her eyes and was delighted at Ganondorf's wonder.

"This is your first lesson. I will teach you how to manipulate your energy and master one of the most basic of elements, fire. Fire is the most basic because it is born of energy and is nothing more and nothing less than the energy it is born of. Try for yourself. Move your energy like I have."

Ganondorf nodded and took a deep breath like his mentor had done. He then put his hand out and faced it up. At first he was able to get the energy to follow basic instructions and focus slightly on his hand but when he directed it further, the magic seemed to openly defy him and dance in the opposite direction. Time and time again he failed, each failure breeding frustration, and as his aggravation grew his control slipped further away. It was a brutal cycle that only left Ganondorf frustrated and ready to give up. Then a large hand rested on his shoulder.

"Ganondorf, you're going about this all wrong. Magic doesn't want to be commanded or controlled, it's not in its nature. You must ask the magic to do what you want it to do. You must convince it that your will is the will of its own. You, in a way… trick the magic into believing it is serving itself when it is really serving you. Try again, but this time respect the magic you are manipulating as you would want it to respect you."

"I don't understand, I've used this magic before but I didn't know it was magic. Why do I need focus now? Why do I need to 'persuade' for this to happen?"

"That magic, the fire at your trials, was born of emotion. One must have the gift of magic before one can wield it but they also have the power to use magic unknowingly. But magic made from emotion is not natural. It is a demonic magic that, not only disrupts the natural world, but destroys the user bit by bit. Magic, when forced to do what is not natural, will twist and distort the desires of the user in… a sort of justice, or karma, for enslaving it into another's will. This kind of magic, in most magic users' cases, destroys the host. As you continue to use magic it will get used to your persuasion and making it do more taxing things will become increasingly easier so there's no reason to worry about that. Try again, but do what I said."

Ganondorf tried to understand the instructions that Twinrova had given him and sighed as if to say, "Here goes nothing". So, with a nod, Ganondorf tried again but instead of directly trying to influence the energies to do what he wanted, he instead used its natural flow to subtly coerce it into a pattern that was infinitely more manageable. He could feel the energy flow from his core and create a fountain of magic that centered in his hand like Twinrovas' had. He had some difficulty keeping the energy in a constant flow to keep the small pocket of magic from dispersing, but he soon found a rhythm to the flow and the fountain was albeit small, but steady and strong. Ganondorf was overjoyed at his success and when he looked up at Twinrova her eyes were sparkling with immense happiness.

"You've successfully manipulated magic." She giggled, "I can't believe it. And only on your second try, that's amazing!"

"Yeah, but," Ganondorf strained through the sizable effort, "I… can't get it to light."

"Oh, here, here," Twinrova seemed to panic as if the energy in his hand was a dying pet, "quickly, take mine and keep it alight."

An ember of Twinrova's fire floated quickly to Ganondorf's outstretched hand nestled itself in the plume of energy above his palm. When it glowed brightly, defying its fate to go out, the witch giggled as she bounced on the floor and clapped her hands excitedly.

"Yes, you've got it! Very good, my child!"

Ganondorf was excited himself. Feeling a bit enthusiastic he coerced more magic into the ember and it burst into a tiny flame. This made Twinrova gasp in excitement and that made the boy's enthusiasm grow even further. He fed more magic into the fire until it was as big as his head, then he started to worry. The fire was growing now without his persuasion, as if the energy now was convinced that the fire was really burning something.

"Now, child. L-let's not get too cocky." Twinrova sounded a little apprehensive.

"I… I can't stop it. Help. Help!"

"Throw it!"

"What?!"

"Just _throw it!_ "

The fire roared unexpectedly and Ganondorf yelped out of surprise and fear. He threw his hand away from him and the ball of fire was consequently thrown from his hand, exploding when it hit a surface. The two sitting on the rug covered their faces as the explosion sent heat and shrapnel all around the room. When the rubble had finished hitting the floor they revealed their faces cautiously to see what had happened. The cauldron on the opposite side of the room had been completely obliterated with smoldering pieces of iron littering the entire space and ashes of the wooden spoon flittering down from the roof. A silence of awe fell between the two for a while.

"Well," Twinrova broke the silence abruptly, "that was a good round of training. I wish we had more time but I really have to go now. Just memorize that spell, practice it on your own, and we'll pick it up when next I see you. Ok? Alright. Bye!"

"Wait!" Ganondorf tried to stop her but Twinrova had already stood and had begun to emit a light from her forehead where the split gem sat. Ganondorf had to shield his eyes as the light flashed brightly and disappeared. When he looked back Kotake, with her hair in its bulb, stood where the woman just was, pinching the bridge of her nose and shaking her head.

"Dammit, the cauldron _AGAIN_!" Koume screamed from the opposite end of the room.


	13. Chapter 13

Part I – A King is Born

Chapter XIII – Ghosts of the Past

Ganondorf sat on the floor with his arms resting on his crossed legs. His hands were turned up in front of him and above them spun different elements that he had learned to master in the last year and a half of training. On his right circled balls of water, fire, and lightning that the twins called electricity. The fire was fueled by his energy, growing and shrinking in controlled intervals. The water continually changed states from angular crystals of ice to an amorphous blob of liquid and finally into dense clouds of vapor. The electricity was tricky to keep together as the center was a nexus of charged particles that continually set off a myriad of explosions of lightning that arched around his fingertips into the stone below. Above his left hand were the more obscure elements that he had come to master.

The first element was air and Ganondorf demonstrated his control of it with a snake made completely of black smoke that danced in the air as it circled. The next element was a sphere of metal, once the steel of his dagger, which changed shapes over and over again. The final was a ball with the presence and absence of light. The orb was split into two vertical hemispheres where one side was a glowing light that dimmed and brightened with Ganondorf's breath. Turning on its axis revealed the other hemisphere to be a void of darkness that could be described as nothing less than a black hole that light could not escape from.

These elements circled each other above his open hands as Ganondorf meditatively took deep breaths and exhaled completely in a calm, controlled manner. His eyes were closed but he was still seeing the world's magical canvas. In the months of training Ganondorf had grown closer to the witches to where they almost felt like family. Almost. Ganondorf still missed his home, the corridors of the compound, the smiling faces of all his sisters, and worst of all his mother. It had been almost two years since he had run away and he found himself thinking about them more and more ever since the New Year began. But he remembered them and allowed them to run through his mind as if distant memories or fond recollections of the past.

There was one though that was not a fond recollection, but more of a haunting phantom of his dreams. It was the one person he dared not think about. The one person he could not bear to imagine. He knew that the slightest mention of her or the smallest idea of her would cause him to ruminate all day on her visage and another day of training would be lost. She destroyed concentration, ruined memorization, and impeded his ability to focus on magic, let alone use it.

So he blocked these intruding thoughts with mindless meditation. He had done this enough times that it had become second nature to him. He no longer despised quiet tranquility but simply tolerated its existence. Sometimes silence was necessary and he could respect that. He didn't enjoy it but allowed it into his sessions as a necessary evil. The display he put on was no easy task either. The smoke was constantly trying to escape the tiny winds that forced it to dance and the water, being so close to the fire, needed extra persuading to change from form to form. The electricity was constantly trying to escape its nexus to enter all the other surfaces in the room, being particularly attracted to the blob of metal, and the light was in unending war with the darkness it shared a sphere with. This gave Ganondorf enough distractions to put her name out of his mind.

Then two energies lying down in the corner began to stir. Ganondorf had gotten into the habit of waking well before the twins in order to practice and train on his own. The witches actively encouraged this on one condition. He was to try and remain as quiet a possible because their "tired bones need sleep", as they had put it. When they rose they settled into their normal morning routine.

Stretching their tiredness away, preparing the pot for breakfast, teleporting around the room randomly… actually, that one was new. The twins were teleporting all around the room for either frivolous reasons or no reason at all. Koume teleported to the cauldron to put water in it, then popped over to the cabinets to get ingredients, popped back to the cauldron to put them in, then popped back to the cabinets to search for something she had apparently missed. Kotake teleported to the cauldron as well to light the fire under it, then teleported to the middle of the room where she looked around as if it wasn't where she wanted to be before disappearing and reappearing elsewhere. The entire scene was quite comical and Ganondorf had to stifle a laugh behind a slight smirk. He knew what they were doing.

When the twins were ready to teach, or when they believed Ganondorf was ready to learn, some new magical technique they would demonstrate it non-stop to show Ganondorf its many uses. They had done the same with water when he was to learn that months ago but Koume, it being her element of expertise, got a little too enthusiastic and flooded the chamber. This destroyed all the furniture, made everyone's clothes wet, and nearly caused Ganondorf to drown as he had no idea how to swim. Luckily the twins used their magic to fix everything again but when they offered to teach Ganondorf how to swim, he absolutely refused to learn such a useless skill.

The twins started to look tired and their teleporting became less frequent. As talented and powerful as they were, even they had their limits and it approached quickly. Then Koume stopped in the center of the room, out of energy, and looked at Ganondorf who was now stifling a huge laugh.

"Kotake." Koume tried to get her sister's attention as she gasped through heaves of her own, "Kotake, over here!" the blue witch appeared next to her sister and was so fatigued she had to use Koume's shoulder for support, "What… what do you want…. K-Koume?" "You can… you can stop now. I think he gets it."

At this Ganondorf burst out laughing, unable to hold it in any longer. The twins simply sat and waited for the boy to finish his incessant cackling. Ganondorf finally calmed himself enough to look at the witches who were looking at him with very cross and annoyed glares.

"Koume, you start. I'm a bit too winded." "You just relax for a bit, I'll take over for a while." "Thank you sister."

As Koume continued with the lesson, Kotake sat straight up and slowly closed her eyes seemingly deep in focus on Koume's words.

"As you clearly already know, today you will be learning the new magical technique of teleportation or, more accurately, instantaneous magical transportation. This technique relies solely on magic and has little to no dealings with physical matter. When you use magic to teleport you will be doing many things at once. Are you ready?"

Ganondorf let the elements in his hands dissipate with exception to the metal that re-formed the curved blade of his dagger and fit to the hilt on the floor. He made the newly solid blade float above the ground and glide over to the weapons rack by his bed. When the blade made the soft clink on the wood he nodded and sat up straight.

"First you will need to enter your focused state."

Ganondorf followed Koume's instruction by tuning his mind to the magic of the world around him. This state, as training every day with it was mandatory, was increasingly easier and easier to achieve each time he needed to use magic. It was almost second nature to him now.

"Good, child, good. Now focus your energy like mine. Think of a specific place and imagine you are there."

Ganondorf looked up at Koume and observed her energy which had centered itself on her ears, nose, hands, and eyes.

"I will demonstrate. Three… two… one."

With the last number, Koume's energy exploded outward and she completely disappeared with the space around her slightly warping. Ganondorf looked behind him to find Koume sitting on her bed with a smirk on her face. She did the same to teleport back to the rug in front of Ganondorf.

"Your turn, child. Follow my instructions. Close your eyes, visualize your destination with all your senses, focus all your energy on that thought, then open your eyes. Ready?"

Ganondorf nodded and started on the first step. Wanting to give Koume a bit of a scare, he visualized the back of her to him. He planned to teleport directly behind her and shout to startle her. But even after concentrating and meticulously examining the steps he went through he was still sitting on the rug in front of Koume when he opened his eyes again.

"I saw your attempt Ganondorf and it was amazingly remarkable. You came so very close which is exceptional given you've only been using magic for two years. Try again but this time use all your senses to correspond with sight. I will remain here as a target for you while Kotake… Kotake…?" the red witch had fallen asleep, "Kotake!" "Gah! Who? What?" "Kotake, fetch us breakfast for us. Ganondorf is using me as a target for his teleportation training." "He could just as easily use me or any object for that matter." "He chose me and that is how it will stay." "But I don't wanna…" "Oh, get off your lazy butt already, you've rested enough!"

Kotake groaned and grumbled as she stood to serve them the breakfast that had been cooking since they had awakened. Ganondorf tried twice more before the food was served and failed both attempts. Koume then rejoined her sister and they both began to coach him. Although the twin's words of encouragement were genuinely nice, he wasn't disheartened by these failures. If anything, each defeat fueled his desire to complete the task. Morning turned into afternoon and then to dusk before Ganondorf had finally almost given up. He had tried to perform teleportation a total of twenty-six times in between meals and each one, though motivating, chipped at his patience until he was ready to retire to bed for the night.

"Dammit!" he cursed as he had failed again, running his hands through his short hair, "I just… how is it even…" he sighed in defeat, "Whatever. I'll pick it up again tomorrow. May I retire to bed?"

"You know what?" Kotake chimed up as if hit by an explosively brilliant idea, "That is an amazing idea!"

With this Ganondorf started to rise but Kotake stopped him, "Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah, wait just a moment there kiddo. We want you to teleport there."

Ganondorf sat back down with a huff.

"Sister, I see no reason to continue to-" "Ganondorf, do you remember what Koume said about the location you are teleporting to?"

"Umm… to visualize it?"

"Well, yes, but… wait, didn't she go over your aura at all?"

Ganondorf shook his head, "No."

"What?!" Koume screeched incredulously, "I am certain that I went over every single…" then she stopped to think, "Oh. Oh, wait! No I don't think I did… oops." "Oh it's alright honey." "No it's not, I forgot to explain the most crucial part of the process!" "It would've slipped my mind too. We've done this for so long that it is hard to explain something that comes without thought for us. Now Ganondorf, in order to teleport somewhere you need to have been there before. Your essence is naturally present wherever you go and will remain where you've been for all time." "You could visit a place once then never go near it for a millennia and still be able to teleport there as if you had just visited." "However, because you are not very experienced you need a more saturated target than we do." "Our mistake." "Yours, but who's counting. Anyway, what bigger nexus of 'Ganondorf essence' than your bed?" "C'mon Ganny, give it one final try then we'll all go to sleep."

Ganondorf adopted a more determined look, "Alright, one more try."

"Remember, use your senses. That is the only way to succeed." "Think about what the destination smells like," "feels like," "sounds like," "then finally," in unison, "Looks like."

The twins waited with abated breath as Ganondorf furiously concentrated. Finally, after a few long seconds of uncertain stillness and thick anticipation, the space around Ganondorf began to warp weirdly, as if he was giving off heat. Then the boy's visage collapsed in on itself in a fraction of a second and in that instant, the boy vanished. The twins jumped up and started cheering happily at Ganondorf's success. But all the excitement ended when the twins turned to look at the bed where he was supposed to be sitting. It was empty. It wasn't supposed to be.

"Koume?" "…Yeah?" "You told him to focus on his bed, right?" "…Yeah…" "Then why isn't he…"

Both witches got immediately wide eyed, looked in toward each other, and said in unison, "Oh no…"

…

Nabooru looked at her reflection in the mirror of her room. Well, it wasn't really her room as she shared it with Amita and Aveil, both of whom were sleeping this early in the morning. She had just finished applying gold eye shadow to her eyelids and was in the process of affixing a large jewel to her chest, right below the clavicle. The jewel attached a rigid golden neckpiece to a white tube top with red and green patterned lines, keeping it up and covering her developing bosom. She had already brushed her hair and put it up in a neat hair tie accentuated with a large red jewel.

Then she went to her bed and reached under her mattress; specifically the top right corner by her pillow. She withdrew a large, round, yet flat bottle that was half full of an amber colored liquid. She uncorked it and quickly applied conservative amounts to her neck, exposed stomach, and armpits. She also spread a bit to her face, back, and arms. Gerudo were only allowed to bathe once or twice every week, sometimes two weeks when supplies of oils ran low. So the Gerudo had invented strong scents and perfumes to counteract the natural musk of body odor. But this one was special. It smelled of honey.

Her entire day was already planned, even if nobody had planned it. Nabooru had fallen into a routine ever since her friend left two years ago. Before the sun came up she would get dressed, put on her perfume, and walk outside to greet the morning. So she fitted her baggy white pants to her hips, which kept them up with their pronounced shape, slipped on her curved shoes, and headed out of the room. Her pants were cuffed at the ends to keep her feet from tripping over them and the top was made of a golden lining that clipped together at a large jewel in the center that was similar to the gem on her chest. This was the garb of a ranking officer like herself as being the daughter of the general had its perks.

Nabooru then would casually stroll out of the compound among the night guard and make her way to the giant rock that sat at the edge of the terrace. To other Gerudo it was just a rock; a very big rock that separated the outside path to the gate from the main yard. But to Nabooru it was the last place she had been with Ganondorf. The last place where she had seen him. And the place where she would wait for him to return. She nimbly jumped up, finalized her outfit by smoothing out wrinkles or fixing her hair tie, and then carefully sat on the rocks cool surface. Then it was a matter of patiently waiting while staring at the gate.

The night guards had witnessed this strange routine for two years now and they didn't really question it anymore. They had even sometimes greeted her while they got ready to be replaced by the morning guard. Sometimes she'd answer, sometimes she wouldn't, it didn't really matter all that much to her. What did matter to her was the metal she would always have with her whenever she was on her rock. At some point in her watch she would reach into her pocket and fish out the piece of copper that the boy had given to her before he ran away.

The medallion was always cool to the touch no matter how long Nabooru held it or it sat in the sun. She would sit on her rock for hours staring at the gate while feeling the medallion in her hands and just thinking. Most of the time she thought about Ganondorf and how, when he showed up, she was going to hit him so hard in the shoulder for leaving. But this time she thought about Rila.

Rila really hadn't been herself lately. When Ganondorf left she was understandably distraught but significantly improved when Nabooru showed her the medallion. She had even accompanied her on some days when she watched and waited on her rock. But as the days turned to weeks, the weeks to months, and the months to years, Rila had become more and more distant not just from Nabooru but from the Gerudo people as a whole. She spent more time in her room, days at a time now, without any communication and refusing to leave it for any reason except for important council matters. Nabooru was saddened to have to watch Rila give in to such depression. Because of her and Ganondorf's closeness, Nabooru came to view Rila as a second, not as strict mother.

Nabooru felt tears build up and quickly blinked them away, reassuring herself that Rila would be fine. Then, coming out of her thoughts, she was surprised to find that morning had since turned to midday and the evening guard had already replaced the morning guard. Then, her ears were graced by the sound of her least favorite voices in the compound. Initiates Tali and Aveil had taken up the increasingly annoying habit of gossiping right behind her rock. Tali was fifteen, Nabooru's age, and Aveil was a year younger.

"…said she was full of crap."

"Tali, I told you she was bad news."

"Gail is not bad she's just a habitual liar."

"And she said something about Rila?"

As soon as Aveil uttered the name, Nabooru's round ears perked up so quick she believed she pulled a muscle. It was inevitable in the course of the day for Rila's name to come up in any multitude of conversation. It was almost unavoidable and usually spoken about in somber yet respectful tones. People would say things like they were "sorry for her" and "couldn't imagine her pain" and "would it be all right if I baked some sweets and gave them to her as condolences". But the girls talking about her now were anything but somber or respectful.

"Please, nobody talks about Rila anymore. She shuts herself off in her room and interacts with nobody for days at a time."

"I hear that she does go to council meetings."

"Yeah, to excuse herself halfway into negotiations. You know her history with Naberna?"

"Goddess, it's like they hate each other."

"I think that's why she leaves early. That and she's super depressed about her son."

"Yeah what an idiot going into the desert. You think he's-"

But Nabooru had heard enough. She jumped off her rock, executing a backflip in the air above the girls, and landed behind them. Before they had a chance to react, Nabooru grabbed their arms, one in each hand, and spun them around to face the rock. She twisted their arms into their backs and shoved them against the rocks hard surface, pinning them in place. Then the situation registered in the two girls' heads and they started to squirm and struggle against Nabooru's iron grip. Training solely with Ganondorf had been tough as he was the strongest Gerudo trainee in the compound and she was his favorite sparring partner. But training exclusively with the Gerudo prince allowed Nabooru to become as close to equal to him as possible; and strongest among all the girls.

"Nabooru!" Tali yelped.

"Let us go!" Aveil grunted as she struggled.

Nabooru only tightened her grip and leaned her full weight into their backs. Soon their struggling was starting to hurt more than help them so they stopped squirming.

Nabooru leaned in and growled in their ears, "You two listen here and you listen good. As members of this tribe it is unbecoming of you to speak about others in such a disrespectful manner. Now as your commanding officer, you are relieved of your afternoon break as punishment. Are we clear?"

"Are you serious?" Tali wined.

"Nabooru, you can't just-"

"Are we clear?!" Nabooru cut Aveil short.

"Alright, fine Nabooru!"

"Yes!"

"Yes, what?"

The two said in unison, "Yes, Lieutenant Nabooru."

"Good." Nabooru released their arms and they greedily snatched them back, rubbing their wrists.

"And don't let me catch you speaking that way ever again." Nabooru flicked her head to the side, dismissing the girls. The two begrudgingly sauntered away grumbling as they left to continue their duties. Nabooru, satisfied with the outcome of that situation, stretched before turning away from the rock to do some chores. These were menial labor like transporting goods from trading parties, taking stock on supplies, and refilling water barrels with water from the canyon at the border of the valley. This stretched the day out and she finished by a few hours before sundown. Nabooru then, when her chores were finished, jumped right back onto her rock and continued her search where she had left off.

An hour went by contemplating the events of this completely normal day when a voice from behind her ripped her from her reverie again. Only this time it wasn't distasteful.

"Momma," a little girl's voice broke the silence, "why is Nabooru sitting all alone up there?"

It was Faya's child, Nadira, who was predictably followed by her mother.

"Come child, it's not polite to talk about others."

"Ok momma. _Hey Nabooru!_ " the child suddenly yelled out to the Gerudo, "Why are you up there!?"

The sweet innocence of the girl made Nabooru smile widely as she stood up. She stretched a bit then slid down the rocks steeper side. She hit the ground with a slight stumble but quickly caught herself before making her way towards the child.

"See, you've disturbed her meditation. Now apologize to Nabooru."

"Faya, wait. It's alright. I was going to retire anyways." Then Nabooru stooped down to the child's height, "Hey Nadira! How are you doing?"

"Good…" the small child responded by locking her hands behind her back and swinging her upper body bashfully. She had the cutest shy smile.

"When do you start training kiddo?"

"Three days." The child briefly stuck three fingers in the air in front of her before quickly retreating it back to its place behind her back.

"Three days!?" Nabooru widened her eyes in an over-the-top display of surprise, "That's not true."

"No." the little girl snickered.

"You've got three _years_ , right?"

"Yeah…"

There was a moment where Nabooru just took in the entirety of the little girl's innocence and couldn't help but smile at the juvenile attempt at misdirection.

"So, Nadira," Nabooru broke her own trance, "what is it that you wanted to ask me?"

"Nuthin…" the child drew out the word so long that it was obvious she had the same question she had shouted earlier on her mind.

"Come now, you can tell me. What is it?"

"Umm… why are you always on that rock?"

Nabooru couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her, "Well, about two years ago my best friend went into the desert and they haven't come back. But I know they will so I sit there waiting for them."

"How do you know?"

"They gave me something." Nabooru pulled the palm-sized medallion from her pocket, "It's a spirit medallion." She presented the cool copper to the child who picked it up and mulled it around in her little hands, "This means that two people are destined to see each other again. It's a special magic that binds two people together."

Nadira was mesmerized by the copper piece. The texture of the smooth metal seemed to fascinate her as well as its cold surface that absorbed the heat from her hands like ice. However, the child yawned loudly and half-mindedly handed the medallion back. Fatigue washed over her face as if the copper had drained her energy as well as the heat from her hands.

Nabooru yawned as well, bigger and with much grander gestures than Nadira, and said, "Oh yeah. Me too kiddo. What do you say we head off to bed, huh?"

Nadira rubbed her eye and nodded slowly.

"Alright honey, now give me a hug."

To Nabooru, Nadira was like a younger sibling even though they were not related in any way other than being Gerudo. Nadira hugged Nabooru tightly around her neck and Nabooru enveloped the child in an equally tight embrace. After a while of enjoying each other's hold, Nabooru tried to stand but the child clung to Nabooru's neck and groaned in complaint. Nabooru rolled her eyes with a smirk and hoisted the child with her as she stood.

"Nadira, let go of Nabooru." Faya chuckled.

"No, no, it's fine Faya. I was going in anyway. Let's all go."

Faya sighed, "If you insist. Let's go."

Nabooru followed Faya into the compound and carried the child to the room she shared with her mother. Nadira had fallen asleep along the way and the two ladies walked in silence for fear of waking her again. The journey allowed them to enjoy the serenity that had befallen the normally bustling and chaotic hallways. When they arrived at the room Nabooru set the child down on the bed nearest the doorway and quietly stepped out to where Faya was waiting with a large smile on her face.

"You're so good with her."

"Oh, I love Nadira like a sibling."

"Well I appreciate you treating her so, Nabooru"

"It's no trouble at all. Is there anything else you need?"

"Well, actually…" it was the way Faya drew her breath before she spoke that Nabooru knew she was going into "parental guidance" mode, "I've been meaning to speak with you for some time."

"What about?"

"Have you…" Faya seemed to get distant all of a sudden, "Have you heard from Rila recently? I worry, you understand."

"Of course." Nabooru internally sighed in relief, "She's… distant. I stop by regularly and make sure she's drinking and eating. The food isn't always gone but at least I have to refill the water every time. It's better than nothing."

"Thank you for tending to her. I hope it isn't too much of a burden."

"Never. She said she needs time to heal and I'm just there to make sure she gets through it."

"What about you?"

The question took Nabooru by surprise, "What? I'm… I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"It's just that I always see you atop that-"

"Faya," Nabooru already knew where this was going and shook her head adamantly, "I know what you're going to-"

"Yes, I know that you probably already get an earful about this from your mother but I have to say something about-"

"You don't have to, trust me. I-"

"Nabooru." Faya took a more maternal stance and her voice became scolding in tone, "Do I have to pull rank on you?"

Nabooru sighed in bitter defeat, "No, high priestess."

"Good. Now you know that I would never tell you anything that would harm you, right?"

Nabooru crossed her arms, looked at the floor, and remained silent.

"Right?"

"Yeah." She rolled her eyes.

"Then you know that whatever I tell you is only for your benefit. I only want what is best for you, Nabooru. Your mother does too no matter how callus she is. You understand this, yes?"

"Ok."

"Then understand that I am concerned for you. You spend so much time on that rock waiting for that boy-"

"It's not the only thing I do." Nabooru quickly interrupted, "I don't always sit up there. I sometimes train or read. I come down to eat, drink, and interact with the rest of the tribe. It's not the only thing that I-"

"I know but it's often enough that it has me worrying. Now I know you've helped others recover from the event but… I think it's time you healed yourself. Spend some time with your sisters, many of them look up to you. In time, goddess willing, you will learn to wait for him in spirit. Alright Nabooru?"

Nabooru had the juvenile urge to yell at Faya for telling her, in a motherly way, to give up. To accept that her childhood friend, and someone who she believed she had feelings for, was dead. Faya hadn't said that but she might as well have and it made Nabooru angry to no end. It was almost enough to bring her to tears. But only almost. She knew what tears would bring. Tears would only bring coddling from overbearing Faya and chastising from her mother. So she bottled it up, took a deep breath, and sighed a breath heavier than the mountain she lived in.

"I understand, Faya." was all she could've said.

"Ok. Good night, Nabooru."

The girl simply grunted in acknowledgement as Faya retired to her room. Nabooru half stormed off in the opposite direction to return to her shared room. About a quarter way there she decided to stop by Rila's room one final time before bed. It was on the way but it wouldn't have mattered if it wasn't. As Nabooru neared the woman's chamber, something, or someone, bolted out of the curtained doorway so fast that the fabric covering the entryway barely had time to react. The shadowed figure dashed, at an extremely fast rate, into an intersecting hallway, its feet making an almost inaudible slap against the stone floor. Nabooru, confused and curious, slowly walked over to the doorway and parted the curtains, letting in the light from the hallway. Rila was nowhere to be found and her son's bed, usually kept immaculate, had the sheets slightly wrinkled in the middle.

 _Oh, right. Rila had a meeting with mom today,_ Nabooru rationalized, _but what in the world was that shadow?_

Nabooru turned around and cautiously walked through the hall that the shadow had rushed down.

…

Ganondorf opened his eyes to find himself on a bed. At first he was ecstatic, he had actually teleported to his bed. But when he was done celebrating he looked around and was stopped mid-excitement. The room he was now in was small and he could only make out a few details through the sliver of light that filtered through the closed red curtains that covered a doorway next to the bed. Ganondorf rubbed his eyes and when the room came into view again he was mortified to realize where he had sent himself.

Ganondorf was sitting on his bed, in his mother's room, inside the Gerudo compound.

"Oh crap." Ganondorf swore under his breath as he slowly rose form his bed. Taking a quick glance around the room revealed that his mother was not currently there, a small blessing he thanked the goddess for. He made his way to the curtains and parted them slightly to look down the hallway. On one side where another hallway branched off not too far from the room, the hall was devoid of all traffic telling Ganondorf that he was probably in the clear.

However, when he looked the other way Ganondorf was completely awestruck. Nabooru, the same fifteen years of age as him was walking down the far side of the hallway. Even though it had only been two years, Ganondorf found himself gawking at all her features. The new Gerudo guard outfit she wore showcased them all from her strong shoulders, to her tones but slim waist, and the hip swaying gait she had adopted that almost put Ganondorf in a hypnotic trance. Then it hit him.

 _Crap, she's going to see me!_ Ganondorf panicked for a bit but soon calmed himself, _Ok, calm down, think. How do I get out of this?_

Coming up with a plan he rejoined with his focused state. He rationalized that if Nabooru thought that he was just a petty shadow that she would not consider investigating his direction. He knew better than anyone that this had little chance to work, especially on a Gerudo, but he still had to try. He used his knowledge of light and dark to set up a sort of barrier around him that absorbed the light and displaced it elsewhere. This gave his form the appearance of a shadow and he hoped that it was inconspicuous enough to escape attention.

Taking one last peek at the advancing Nabooru, he darted off from the curtains so fast that he was afraid the wind whistling past is ears would give him away. He darted down the branching hallway and kept going until he reached another intersection. He turned right and waited at the corner to listen for any sounds.

It was neither good nor bad when he was greeted by silence. It wasn't bad as told Ganondorf that Nabooru had probably decided not to investigate the shadow flying from Rila's room. But it wasn't good either as it meant that she could've taken an indirect rout to cut him off. She could also be fetching the guard on the suspicion that there is an intruder. Either way, Ganondorf needed to keep moving.

When the boy took in his surroundings he recognized the intersection he was in as one of the major intersections in the compound. There were multiple ways out of the compound form here, as having multiple exit strategies was part of Gerudo life, but the shortest route outside from where Ganondorf was took him right past the council room. This wouldn't be much of a problem except for the fact that the room's door is flanked by two guards when there are important meetings inside.

But Ganondorf had already spent too much time planning and decided that if there were guards at the door he would re-rout from there. Springing back into action, the boy dashed quietly through hallways and finally, after numerous turns and twists, came upon the long hallway that housed the council room doorway. The hall was long and thankfully it didn't have a single guard in it. However there was a guard room a ways off from the council room just in case armed intervention was needed.

As Ganondorf started to run past it, the doorway emitted a voice that sounded familiar to Ganondorf. He slowed before he could pass it and was able to make out the voices of his mother and General Naberna. The wooden door was cracked open slightly and Ganondorf stopped to listen for a moment. Most rooms didn't even have doors as it helped promote proper ventilation throughout the networks of tunnels. The only doors in the compound were used for rooms that needed privacy.

"Goddess, Rila, You're not even listening to the entire thought. You keep cutting me-"

"What you are proposing here is disgusting! It's ridiculous! It's… it's _evil_!"

"Do you not see the necessity of these precautions? There is a need for these plans because magic is an ever present threat. And right now we are losing the fight against it. You cannot just brush aside the signs!"

"What signs Naberna? What signs could you have possibly conjured up this time to justify such asinine propositions?!"

"Rila, we have all witnessed that magic can do. It is an unbelievably unstable force that cannot be contained. The only way to control or limit its presence is to eliminate anyone who has the power to use-"

"And that is where you go wrong. You can't just kill anyone you want regardless of their affinity towards-"

"You just feel that way because or your bastard son!"

There was a suffocating silence that seized the room and the rest of the hallway. Ganondorf even felt some anger at what the general had called him. His curiosity had gotten the best of him and he peered inside the crack of the door. He could not see the entire room but was able to get a glimpse of General Naberna seconds before the blur of an enraged Rila vaulted over the discussion table and tackled the general. The table was thrown to the back wall and was probably destroyed as splinters and shards of wood exploded from that side of the room. The two grown women began to roll on the floor trading blows that shook the very stone Ganondorf stood on.

"Hey, you!" Nabooru's voice pierced through the air and stabbed the boy's ears.

 _Crap,_ Ganondorf looked behind him where Nabooru stood. She gasped loudly and Ganondorf found that he had let his shadowed disguise slip. Spying had loosened his focus and his veil had fallen. A second later he put up his camouflage and sprinted through the hallway away from Nabooru.

"No, wait! Don't!" Nabooru took off after Ganondorf and the noise of the brawling adults woke the guards in the room down the hall. The sounds of the adults being ripped from each other claws faded as Ganondorf made a mad dash to the nearest exit with Nabooru close behind. Even though he could see the exit straight ahead he needed some space between him and Nabooru so he decided to weave away from the exit and make a complicated path of twists and turns through the compound. Nabooru was just as fast as Ganondorf but the turns soon took their toll on her trail on him and she slowly fell behind and soon lost him at one of the five-way intersections. Seeing his opportunity, Ganondorf made a mad dash to an exit. He opened the hidden door and rocketed from the doorway out across the courtyard and to the other side of the rock on its border.

"Wait!" Nabooru yelled from the structure before he slipped behind the boulder.

"Nabooru, what's wrong?" one of the guards took notice of her yells.

"He's over here! He's over here, I found him!"

Ganondorf could hear her get closer, the guards close behind her. His last chance to escape his people was to teleport but the chaos and distractions weren't allowing him to focus enough to try the technique again. All he could do was wait until the guards found him and he would have to face whatever wrath the people would throw towards him.

Then a dark swirling vortex covered his ankles. Before Ganondorf could recognize the dark hole hiding his feet, the floor dropped from his soles and he was swallowed into darkness.


	14. Chapter 14

Part I – A King is Born

Chapter XIV – Destiny

"But you _can't leave yet!_ " the twins screamed in unison as Ganondorf continued to pack his things into a sack.

"I know, you've been very vocal about how I'm 'not ready' and I've 'still got lots to learn," Ganondorf mimicked their shrill voices, "but I just have to leave."

"And you continue to neglect _why_ you must!" "Who told you that you needed to leave?!" "Was it that troublemaking hooligan you like?" "That Nabooru's to blame isn't she?"

"No!" he snapped back a bit too loudly, "I just… I overheard General Naberna and my mother discussing something that made her so upset they got into a fight. Now, I know my mother enough to know that it takes a lot to get her that upset. If she attacked Naberna then that means that she wanted to do something really bad." Ganondorf completely skipped the fact that the General called him a bastard child intentionally, "I need to go back. I need to do something. I mean, I'm their king so they'll listen to me, right?"

"Ganondorf you don't know what's going on," "it's a volatile situation," "and even the adults are fighting each other." in unison, "What makes you think they'll listen to a child?"

"I'm fifteen years old, I'm no child!"

"Ganny, honey," "we are both over three _hundred_ years old," "to us, you will always be a child."

Ganondorf finished packing the sack and slung it over his shoulder before looking back at the twins.

"Well, regardless of what you think, I have to head back."

Ganondorf saw fear and anger boil to the surface of Kotake's face and Koume's turned an impressive shade of green. But Ganondorf could not allow them to stand, or float as it were, in his way. He pushed past them making his way to the middle of the room.

"For the goddesses sake your training is incomplete, Ganondorf!" "If you leave now there will be dire consequences." "This is serious life or death stuff you're playing with here, kid."

"I'm sorry, but I have to put my people first."

"Then you leave us no choice. Kotake?"

Ganondorf turned just in time to see the twins thrust their hands out to the sides and cause the entire room to plunge into a blinding light. Ganondorf had gotten so used to the occurrence of being thrown into a new dimension or realm that when he found himself thrown to these places, he was more annoyed than amazed.

"Really? Another transportation spell?" he yelled to the sky, "You know I can just teleport back right?"

Even though he was determined to get back he still admired the décor the witches had invented. The area was a cloudy blue sky with an ever present light that radiated off of it. The floor was covered with water that was only as high as his toes. The most remarkable feature was the mirror-like reflection the endless water had on the sky to give it the illusion of being continuous all around. As beautiful as it was, Ganondorf needed to get back. So he sat in the water and started to focus in preparation to teleport.

"It would be unwise to do that before we have met." A voice boomed from behind Ganondorf. It was a voice so deep, it shook the very air it inhabited. It demanded respect and fear in anything that heard or felt its presence. Ganondorf thought it sounded familiar. He could swear that he had heard that voice before but couldn't place it. Regardless, the sheer force of the voices decibels froze Ganondorf in place, too fearful to move.

"Turn, boy. Face me. Let your eyes be graced by the visage of your father."

At this, Ganondorf slowly and fearfully stood and turned to face the source of the frightening voice. A mountain of a man stood a yard away from Ganondorf and he was impossibly massive. Upon closer examination he finally knew where he had heard the voice before. He'd seen this being before in a dream. The muscular back made of rock, hair a blazing inferno of fire, arms covered in gleaming black scales, and a red sarong held on his waist by a gleaming metal belt. The man turned his head and a single gleaming blood-red eye focused on Ganondorf before he completely turned to face the boy.

As he expected a large black void bleeding black blood dominated the middle of his chest. The liquid disappeared when it hit the water that covered the ground as if it didn't even exist. On his forehead was a white scar in the shape of an "X".

"My... my father?"

The man smiled. It was a toothy and unsettling smile that gave Ganondorf chills. "Yes, boy. Where do you think your strength came from? It is my blessing that allows you to do such amazing things and use magic so effortlessly. I am known as Demise, and in your world I am a god! If you are here then I assume that you have finished your training."

"Umm... Not exactly." Ganondorf slowly said. Demise's smile, in turn, slowly wiped into a harsh grimace.

"You mean to tell me that the twins have abandoned you?"

"I was actually on my way too abandon them. I... I need to go home."

Demise's look of anger morphed to one of perplexity.

"You are a child." He chuckled, "You know not what you need."

It was Ganondorf's turn to furrow his brow at Demise.

"I am not a child." He growled through his teeth, "I'm nearly old enough to assume the Gerudo throne."

"The women having a child as their leader!?" Demise let loose a booming laugh that made Ganondorf ball his fists, "How appropriate! The feeble leading the weak!"

"Don't mock my family." Ganondorf's fists began shake as his anger boiled inside him.

"And what are you going to do about it?"

"Just watch!" Ganondorf stamped his foot on the ground and focused on the magic in the room. In the instant his foot splashed into the water, the sky went completely black with grey storm clouds blocking the sky. The only things that gave them shape and depth were the thousands of lightning strikes that arched across the sky and eventually exploded to the ground, emanating a loud thunder. Ganondorf looked back to Demise expecting fear, anger, or at least annoyance to be smeared on his rocky face. However, what Ganondorf found was immense pride within the man's eyes and his mouth pulled back into his unsettling toothy smile.

"Yes, good!" He mused as he looked at Ganondorf's changes with wonder, "You command magic like an oracle despite your age. Now use your anger. Show me the dominance you have over its power!"

"Dominance? Command? Kotake and Koume taught me to never use magic born of emotion."

Demise's eyes flared back to a burning hatred that Ganondorf found more frightening than death.

"They _what?_ " He roared as he paced back and forth looking ready to explode. "Those... Those witches... They defied me?"

"What are you talking about?"

Demise's gaze snapped to Ganondorf, "I must speak with your mentors. Be gone!"

The enraged being flicked a hand toward the Gerudo and Ganondorf was suddenly thrown backwards. Just as what happened with Girahim, the room bled away and the familiar chamber came back as the boy flew through the air. Having done this once already, Ganondorf righted himself and skidded to a halt on the floor, sliding on his hands and toes. When he looked up the room was in chaos. There were pots strewn about the floor, clothes atop the pots, soot atop the clothes, and strange claw marks on the floor and walls. But in the middle of it all were the twins.

The witches were suspended in running positions with their backs to Ganondorf. When he walked around them he saw the most frightened expressions on their faces even though they were, predictably, shouting at each other. Kotake was pointing right at Koume with her lips in a tight circle. Koume, meanwhile, had her hand raised in the air for her broom which, when Ganondorf spotted the hand, flew right overhead and smashed into the far wall. A shower of splinters and chunks of wood rained from the ceiling and they smoked as if they were on fire.

Ganondorf stood and looked back at the twins in suspended animation. But something had changed. Kotake had suddenly developed a bruise that continued to spread on her right arm. Then, as soon as Ganondorf had taken notice of that, Koume's eye started to discolor and swell up. It was when Kotake's nose started to bleed that Ganondorf realized that Demise was hurting the twins from inside his realm.

"No..." The boy sprinted towards the twins, "No! Leave them alone!"

Ganondorf lunged at Koume and when he touched her he was able to push her to the side. But as soon as he recognized the area he was back in, a dense heavy force slammed into the middle of his back and sent him straight into the water covering the floor. Another force, foot shaped and no less powerful, lifted him off the ground and sent him flying in the opposite direction. He tumbled around in the water until his momentum slowed and he rolled to a stop face-up in the liquid. Ganondorf staggered upright and took one look at the concerned faces of Koume and Kotake before Demise sent a clawed hand toward them and they disappeared.

"I had such hopes for you, boy. But it seems the Gerudo are incapable of producing a competent warrior." Demise inched closer towards Ganondorf, "The world will be better off with their eradication.

Ganondorf realized that a frontal assault, no matter how strong he thought he was, could only result in his death. So Ganondorf decided to use a last-resort tactic. Deception. The boy dropped to his knee in feigned injury as the god crept closer. Behind his theatrics he used a small amount of magic to make a ball of water concentrate in the middle of his palm under his leg.

Demise was nearly upon Ganondorf before he stopped, a breadth away, to tower over the seemingly injured child.

"It really is a shame that I must wait another millennia." Demise reached a claw towards Ganondorf's neck, "But you are weak. And weakness-"

Demise was not able to finish his thought as Ganondorf spun around his outstretched arm and threw his water ball at the demon's face. Demise yelled as the water hissed when it touched his eyes and scalp. He started to flail around trying to hit Ganondorf with at least an accidental blow but the boy had already back flipped away from the thrashing god. Demise heard the boy touch down away from him and, without thinking, sent a blast of magically conjured electricity in the sound's general direction. Even though Ganondorf knew the blast wasn't going to hit him, he was still awed at the power it contained.

Coming up with another plan, Ganondorf stepped into the attacks path. He held one hand out and caught the ball of electricity in its path. The boy kept the attack going, spinning it around his head. As he brought the energy back around he imbued the redirected attack with a substantial amount of his own magic, making it hundreds of times more lethal and unstable. The power inside the attack coupled with its instability made the ball of lightning glow a menacing red and throw itself at an unimaginable speed towards the god. The explosive sound it made when it left Ganondorf's hand was enough to make his ears ring and block out all other sounds. The path the ball took made the water throw itself out of the way after the fact in a delayed reaction and it hit demise so hard he was thrown several feet into the air, flailing and face twisted with intense pain.

The attack took a lot of energy from Ganondorf and he was unable to stay standing. He dropped to his knees, the water splashing up to numb some of the bruises with its cold touch. Suddenly a black shiny scale, reminiscent of the ones on Demise's arms, flew out of the clouds and embedded itself in the ground. Ganondorf, after some strain, was able to pry the piece from the floor. It was slightly bigger than his hand but must've weighed ten pounds alone and the material felt impossibly dense. He reached out to it with magic and was able to manipulate it like metal.

Demise hit the ground on his shoulder just as Ganondorf had the strength to stand and his hearing returned. A sickening crack and pop exploded from the impact along with the gods screams of immeasurable pain. Demise tended to his dislocated joint as more and more scales unhinged and fell from his muscular arms. Ganondorf shaped and stretched the scale he had into a blade. The sword he made was curved and looked like the ones back at the fortress. The material, when made into this form, was strangely light and Ganondorf wasted no time rushing towards Demise with it in hand.

Unable to mend his arm, Demise looked up just in time to watch the black sword, made of his own scale, touch the black hole in his chest, then plunge itself to the hilt into his sternum. The pain didn't even register yet as Demise simple stared out, wide eyed, and gasping intermittently. Ganondorf leaned in close to Demise's round ear and growled into it, "I am not your puppet. You hold no power over me. You are weak. And weakness," Ganondorf tightened his grip on the sword, "will not be tolerated!"

With his final words the boy ripped the sword from Demises torso spraying orange and black blood all over the floor in front of him. The black now lingered in the pool instead of disappearing and the orange, though swirling with it, never mixed its color. The blood must've been as hot as molten metal as it hissed and screamed along with its owner as if it felt the same pain that coursed through Demise's body. Ganondorf turned and began to walk away. He could've easily just teleported away. Even as tired as he was, it would've taken no effort to leave Demise in his destroyed state to whatever fate awaited a dying god. But Ganondorf wanted to savor his victory. He _had_ just defeated a god. But his celebration was cut short by the labored and sinister laughter that gurgled from Demise's throat.

"It's finally happened. My curse has finally bested me."

"Poor choice of last words for a dying god." Ganondorf said with his back to Demise.

Demise only laughed harder, "Oh, do not worry. Last time I was bested, my words fell upon magic that no longer exists. Here and now, I forge a new curse." Demise erupted into a fit of violent coughing that shook the world around Ganondorf, "I place a curse on you… Ganondorf. I curse you and all your kin. No matter how hard you may try, you will always fail in your endeavors. You will be as I am; you will know what failure tastes like time and time again until you die."

"We are nothing alike. Your words fall on deaf ears and speak to magic that no longer understands your tongue. Your death will have no effect on the world. You have lost Demise."

Ganondorf could feel Demise's eyes boring holes into the back of his head, but he could also feel the unsettlingly toothy and wide smile that he wore on his face.

"We are more alike than you would care to admit. As much as you deny it, we have too many similarities for it to be just coincidence."

Demise coughed again and this time the reality around Ganondorf started to collapse with cracks arching through the sky as if it was made of glass.

"You may have made your choice, _**boy**_ , but in the end we are the same. The spitting image."

Ganondorf turned to look at Demise as he struggled to stay upright on his knees. He held the hole in his chest in an attempt to grasp the pain. _I've heard this before_ , Ganondorf thought.

"You may not accept it, but we really are… kindred spirits… you… and I."

The water covering the floor had since drained and dried away leaving a cracked dry soil under them. Demise fell to the ground with a dense and heavy thud and the area around Ganondorf started to rapidly deteriorate to black. He turned away from the defeated god and manipulated his blade to return it to the shape of a scale. He placed the scale in a pocket and closed his eyes, focusing his thoughts on the temple.

When Ganondorf reentered Demises realm, he was in the middle of lunging at Koume in an attempt to push her out of the way of whatever punishment Demise was putting the twins through. Unfortunately, the momentum he had put into his tackle was still enacting on him in a frozen state. So when he came back to the temple he finished his leaping move by flailing through the air and haphazardly landing on his knees at the end of his jump. Ganondorf looked up and found Koume and Kotake helping each other off the ground. Ganondorf ran over to help them on their feet.

"Thank you child, you are too kind." "Oh Ganny! Are you alright? Did he hurt you?"

"I'm fine, are you two alright?"

"Ganny, we are three hundred years old." "We've experienced far worse things than this." "Oh you should just _see_ the scars! I've got one right here on my-" "Koume, no." "… Oh, right. A child. I understand. But in any case, we are grateful" "and…" in unison, "We are in your debt."

"I have no doubt you would've done the same. I… do have one question though."

"I see no reason not to give it an answer." "Ask away child."

"Demise, he… he called me… he said he was my father. Is… is that true?"

"No!" the twins quickly and decisively said in unison. "That monster is not your father, Ganny." "There are many things at work here and your origins are unclear," "but rest assured that Demise had nothing to do with your conception."

Ganondorf closed his eyes and sighed with relief.

Kotake shook her head, "At least you were able to escape him. Hopefully next time he'll be-"

"There won't be a next time." Ganondorf cut her short, "I… I killed him."

"Well I'm sure that you-" Kotake slowly looked up at Ganondorf, confusion plastered all over her face, "You what?" Koume shared her expression.

Ganondorf reached into his pocket and withdrew the black scale he used to take down the god. The twins gasped in shock. He held the scale out for the witches to see but they recoiled away from it as if it were poisonous. Noting their reaction he quickly placed the scale back into his pocket.

"He… hurt my family. And no one, god or man, hurts my family."

Koume then sighed with something to say.

"Ganondorf… we…" "We have something to say." "We may not like it but," "you are free to leave," "whenever you believe you are ready."

The twins might've been sincere but their faces betrayed their true emotions. Kotake smiled proudly but held a kind sadness behind her eyes. Koume, on the other hand, was a complete wreck, sniffing constantly, her mouth a tight frown complete with quivering lip, and her glossy eyes brimmed with tears that were constantly in danger of spilling over their edge. After a careful moment of deliberation, Ganondorf looked up at them.

"Well, how long is this training going to take?"

Koume and Kotake's expressions changed to surprised then to extreme happiness and only Kotake was able to respond, "With your skills, no more than a half a year!"

"I guess we better get started, huh?"

Koume squealed with excitement and half-limped over to Ganondorf to wrap him in a surprisingly tight hug. It only lasted for a second before Koume released him complaining.

"Ooh, oh, alright. Ow. That was a mistake."

Kotake laughed as her sister slowly inched away from Ganondorf with a hand supporting her aching back. Still giggling, Kotake calmly walked to Ganondorf and embraced him in a much softer manner. Before she released him, she placed a light and affectionate kiss upon his cheek.

"You're a good kid." She said to him before turning to join Koume on their beds. Ganondorf turned also and started towards his bed.

"Oh, and another thing." Kotake called from the other side of the room, "Don't think that killing a god gives you any reason to slack off. Tomorrow we start learning the most difficult techniques. So get a good night's rest."

Ganondorf heard the smile on her face through her voice as he came up to his bed. He slowly crawled onto the mattress and when he settled on his side he felt a strange object pressing up against his leg. He dug through his pocket and produced the black scale. Ganondorf looked at it for a while and shrugged before getting up to place it on his weapons rack. He placed it down on the top shelf next to his daggers. However, when he turned to go back to his bed he snapped right back around to stare at the scale, his brow furrowed and his jaw locked.

The boy stood staring intensely at the scale only blinking when his eyes got too dry. After a long tense moment, Ganondorf sighed and looked away from the black piece of armor. When he looked away before there was a split second where he thought he had seen a feint, tiny spark of magic pop from the scale's surface. _No, he's dead_ , Ganondorf told himself as he shook his head, _he died right in front of me. He's gone_.

The boy deeply sighed as he climbed back into bed. _Heh, I just killed a god_ , he mused as tiredness and fatigue took its toll and plunged him into a deep sleep.


	15. Chapter 15

Part I – A King is Born

Chapter XV – Final Lessons

Kotake said that Ganondorf only had approximately six months left in his training. It actually took ten. But the things he learned in those months were invaluable. Ganondorf was not just excited to learn these things, but learned them at a pace that astonished the twins and Twinrova.

"This technique took us twenty years to perfect." Twinrova said while consulting the fifth volume in Koume's diary collection, "So do not be discouraged if you have trouble completing the exercise the first time."

The task in question was making an object teleport from one place to another.

"The trick is to hone in on the essence of the object and then-"

Suddenly the book disappeared from Twinrova's hands and, when she looked up, found Ganondorf waving it triumphantly above his head.

"Astonishing!" Twinrova mused, "How did you learn that so quickly?"

Ganondorf shrugged, "I don't know. It was kinda easy."

"Interesting… then maybe we should up the difficulty."

Keeping true to her promise, Twinrova never made Ganondorf issue combat for the sake of training. She never said that the twins wouldn't do it for her. The object of their combat training was to throw a dagger at a target and then teleport it back to him before another one attacked from the side. It was a new way to use the resources that were given him and these new techniques always had bumpy beginnings. It was never easy to perform magic in the middle of combat, but, over time, Ganondorf was able to perform these new techniques under considerable duress.

The next lesson was potions and the twins instructed that round of training with the utmost seriousness.

"Potions," Kotake instructed, "are the most dangerous thing to create using the natural world." "Potions do not use magic in their effects, nor do they require magic to be created." "The only thing that you need to know to create these powerful elixirs" "is what each ingredient does for your potion." "Everything on this planet has different benefits and drawbacks" "and brewing potions is a balancing act between these forces." "Are you ready to begin?"

As soon as Ganondorf said yes, the influx of information that the twins threw at him was staggering. There were hundreds upon hundreds of possible ingredients and each had specific effects that either benefited or harmed the drinker that other ingredients counteracted in different ways. There were some that Ganondorf were familiar with, like leever and even sand of all things, but a great deal of them originated from lands far outside the desert that Ganondorf hadn't even heard of. The strangest of which was the milk from a beast that the twins called a "cow". They praised the liquid for its nutritious properties but Ganondorf equated milk to what babies drank from their mother's breasts. The fact that this was from an animal repulsed Ganondorf and he wanted nothing to do with the stuff.

Once the twins finished teaching him the names and properties of all the ingredients, and quizzing him to make sure he remembered, they taught him recipes. These were mixtures that they had developed themselves that they marked down in their diaries. Even if the chance of Ganondorf ever using these elixirs was slim, the twins still taught him every step and measurement with excruciating detail. More than half of the potions they had developed were beneficial drinks for curing diseases or numbing pains of certain types. But the ones that fascinated Ganondorf the most were not beneficial at all. In fact, they were more poison than potion, the twins just liked the word "potion" too much. These recipes called for rancid, dangerous, and, in many cases, deadly ingredients.

"The barb berry is a highly poisonous fruit that grows around many of the oases around here." "The properties of this fruit include dizziness, "nausea," "and a stopping heart!"

"And why exactly would I even go near such a weapon?"

"Oh, it has beneficial properties as well!" "If mixed with the right ingredients," "it is really very good for your eyesight."

"And it's really that poisonous?"

"Yes, very much so." "Some species of Guay and Keese are known to have it in their diets" "but that is a newer discovery that we have yet to delve deeper into." "Just know that it is extremely dangerous to both handle" "and use."

It wasn't long until Ganondorf was brewing with such ease that the twins feared he'd surpass them mere weeks into the instruction. Along with brewing skills naturally came culinary expertise and, though it was not originally part of their plan, the twins were delighted to teach him. Even at that, Ganondorf soared. He possessed such an acute sense of smell and taste that, even after three centuries of food, the twins were amazed by his use of ingredients and floored by the tastes he introduced. He was even able to make potions palatable.

When the lessons turned back to magic, the twins attempted to teach the boy warlock the art of enchanting. Imbuing magic into something that had none proved to be uncharacteristically difficult for Ganondorf. The technique required an unimaginable amount of concentration and the amount of magic it used tired him out very quickly. He didn't possess nearly enough power to make any complicated enchantments, like the twins' brooms, but was able to make some rudimentary enhancements to his equipment. One of his daggers was imbued with the power of teleportation so that it would return to its sheath when he tapped it. His scimitar was enhanced with a ward that deflected magical attacks. He had tried to give his shoes levitating abilities but he didn't know how to modify the enchantment to bend to his will. The twins found it hilarious as he helplessly jumped trying to reach the shoes that were slowly floating away. After retrieving the shoes and removing their faulty enchantment, the twins were ready to move on.

The next lesson was alteration, or "the transmutation or manipulation of a lesser organism or object" as Kotake called it. "Making things that hilariously fall down on their first steps" is what Kotake called it, much to Kotake's annoyance. The idea was to take something that had life, or the potential for life, and essentially mutate it into an advanced state. Much more technical explanations were lost to Ganondorf but it all made a strange sort of sense when the twins made a normal lizard into a life sized lizalfos. The animal was still crawling on four legs but it now possessed the physical appearance of the once mythical creature.

"Modifying or changing a physical body is nothing" "it is changing the mind that is the real trick to creating the perfect thrall," "the perfect servant."

"But how do you… create a mind?"

"Now that, sweety," is where magic" "meets imagination."

The twins disposed of their mutant lizard and started Ganondorf off with animating lifeless jars of jelly that the twins concocted. There were many aspects and wonders of magic that fascinated Ganondorf, but none amazed him more than animation. Making something that previously was an object into something that could move and think was amazing to him. Their movements may have been limited to squirms and hops and their minds may have been slightly more complex than animals, but it delighted Ganondorf all the same.

The twins called the slime creations "Chu-chus" and explained to Ganondorf that the ones he created were no different from the ones that occurred within nature. In fact, they said that he had made them with such skill that they wouldn't have been able to tell the difference if they hadn't seen him do it firsthand.

"You mean to tell me that there are sentient balls of slime roaming the desert!?"

"In the desert?" "Oh, heavens no!" "They'd dry up in seconds." "You may have never seen it but there are lands outside the canyon." "Strange lands" "dangerous lands" "filled with monsters and men alike."

"Men? You mean other tribes?"

Kotake's face suddenly became pensive, "Um… well… yes? Yes and no. Well… I mean yes for the present… I think. And no for the future? Koume, what do I-" "Tribes is fine, Kotake." "So yes. Other tribes!"

"But then why do we live-"

Kotake cut Ganondorf off, "Ganondorf, we will be delayed another twelve years if we address every single question you have." "Another spell awaits if you are quite done with inquiries."

Ganondorf wasn't done but decided against complaining. The twins were a stickler for time and if he wasted too much they could become pretty grouchy.

But despite the setbacks, questions, and the multitude of tangents that the boy's training went off on, the twins did reach their final lesson for Ganondorf right on their mark; exactly half of a year from when they made the estimation. It still took two more months to finish the final lesson but they kept that little detail to themselves. The final lesson was really a final test of all the things he had learned. In a way, it was an exercise to train his memory and, thus, still training. This test encompassed everything from basic manipulation of elements, to potions, and finally to the things he learned in the last few months.

Ganondorf passed this test but also amazed the twins by going above and beyond their instruction. By the end of the test the twins were, for the first time in three-hundred years, speechless. For Ganondorf, passing the test was a badge of honor. An undeniable triumph that signified that he was wise enough and powerful enough to, not just lead his people, but protect them as well. He could finally become king.

For the twins, Ganondorf was their greatest success. Of course they were proud of their pupil and happy for his success, but it was a bittersweet pride. For they knew that he would soon want to return home and the two witches would, once again, be alone. More so now that Girahim had stopped contacting them ever since Ganondorf supposedly killed Demise. Their sorcerous ancestor had ceased all communications and even his presence withdrew from their minds. The sudden silence of their tutor would've been maddening if not for each other. They thanked the goddess that they were twins.

It was an especially bright day that Ganondorf chosen to leave. It felt as if a lifetime had passed since he had last felt the desert sun assault his skin. The temple had holes for natural sunlight but nothing felt quite like the pure bombardment of the sun's rage. He wore newly white training clothes and carried a small sack that held a few parcels of food, two potions of healing, and the black scale that he had taken from Demise's realm. His daggers were fastened to his right hip and his left leg with his scimitar dangling off his left hip in its scabbard.

The twins took Ganondorf to the entrance to the oasis and stood behind him as he looked out onto the familiar sands and the peaceful dunes. He took a deep breath and let the searing air scorch his throat and lungs. The sun attacked his skin and his body thrived in the barrage as if it had missed the abuse. This was his land and, across it, his home. Ganondorf was about to take his first step towards it, but stopped short, and stood still for a bit.

"Ganny?" Kotake called when he hesitated, "Is everything alright?"

"I… I just want to thank you both for everything. The spells, the knowledge, the control, it was all because of you. Goddess, I'd probably be dead in the sands if it weren't for you two."

The twins smiled as they held each other's hand.

"And it's because of your training that I am now capable of protecting my home. I'm ready to become king… and all the thanks is to you."

Ganondorf walked back to the twins and wrapped them in a tight embrace. The twins received reciprocated just as passionately but released him quickly before they got too sad.

"Ganondorf" "we are proud of you." "The world could shun you," "the earth may ridicule you," "and you may think that there is nothing and nowhere you can go." "But just remember," they said in unison, "we will always welcome you back."

The boy nodded his head, received kisses on his cheeks, and finally, after some final goodbyes, took off into the desert again. He was heading back home.


End file.
